Norway ‘wants to block China from Arctic Council’

But the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to imprisoned dissident Liu Xiaobo,
whom Beijing considers a “criminal”, in October later that same
year has sent relations between the two countries into a deep-freeze.

Beijing has refused to have any high-level contact with Norway to protest what
it perceived as “meddling” in its affairs.

According to Aftenposten, China’s interest in the Arctic Council lies in the
opening up of a new shipping route through the region as the Arctic ice cap
melts.

Compared to traditional routes through the Suez Canal or the Cape of Good
Hope, the Northeast Passage would considerably shorten the voyage between
Europe and China.

The members of the Arctic Council are Canada, Denmark/Greenland, Finland,
Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the United States.

Source: AFP

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