Abstract:

The global warming and melting of the polar ice led to the revival of the Northern Sea Route in the 1990s and also opened up new opportunities for exploring the vast mineral resources of the Arctic. Russia is one of the major stakeholders in mineral resource extraction in this region – the Russian government sees these resources as crucial for the country's industrial development, national and energy security. The NSR can connect remote regions of Asia, Europe and North America by providing a safe, fast and cheap transportation corridor. This article discusses the potential of the NSR for the transit of Chinese goods to European, Asian, North American, South American, and African markets. We analyze the volume and the main trends in China’s exports in 2012-2017. We also consider the official data on the cargo traffic along the NSR in 2012-2018. For more reliable results we use official statistics from Russian and Chinese sources. Further research in this area can focus on evaluating the NSR’s investment attractiveness and its potential for transportation of Chinese goods.