China wants ships to use faster Arctic route opened by global warming

BEIJING, April 20 (Reuters) - China will encourage ships
flying its flag to take the Northwest Passage via the Arctic
Ocean, a route opened up by global warming, to cut travel times
between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, a state-run newspaper
said on Wednesday.
China is increasingly active in the polar region, becoming
one of the biggest mining investors in Greenland and agreeing a
free trade deal with Iceland. In 2013, the Arctic Council
admitted emerging powers China and India as observers.
Shorter shipping routes across the Arctic Ocean would save
Chinese companies time and money. For example, the journey from
Shanghai to Hamburg via the Arctic route is 2,800 nautical miles
shorter than going by the Suez canal.
China's Maritime Safety Administration this month released a
356-page guide in Chinese offering detailed route guidance from
the northern coast of North America to the northern Pacific, the
China Daily said.
"Once this route is commonly used, it will directly change
global maritime transport and have a profound influence on
international trade, the world economy, capital flow and
resource exploitation," ministry spokesman Liu Pengfei was
quoted as saying.
Chinese ships will sail through the Northwest Passage "in
the future", Liu added, without giving a timeframe.
The route would also be strategically important to China,
another ministry official, Wu Yuxiao, told the paper.
"Many countries have noticed the financial and strategic
value of Arctic Ocean passages. China has also paid much
attention," Wu said.
He pointed to risks, such as lack of infrastructure and
possible damage by ice and unpredicatble weather.
"As sea ice has declined due to global warming, Arctic
navigation has increasing possibilities. That's why we need
guidance for ships with the Chinese flag."
Melting sea ice has spurred more commercial traffic and
China has sought to become more active in the Arctic, where it
has said it has important interests.
Chinese ships, even merchant vessels, using the Northwest
Passage could raise eyebrows in Washington.
In September, five Chinese Navy ships sailed in
international waters in the Bering Sea off Alaska, in an
apparent first for China's military at a time when U.S.
President Barack Obama toured the U.S. state.