Exploring Sino-Russian-Nordics triangular relations: complex balancing along the Polar Silk Road
出版日期:2021-05-26 00:00:00
著者:Reinhard Biedermann
著錄名稱、卷期、頁數:Journal of Contemporary European Studies
摘要:The megatrends of climate change, China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and the Western sanctions against Russia have made the once calm Arctic an arena of geopolitical competition. Before the Crimea crisis of 2014, the Nordics were the primary advocates for a Chinese role in the Arctic when Russia was still hesitant. In 2017 Russia and China agreed to build a Polar Silk Road along the Northern Sea Route, which complements China’s 21st Century Maritime Silk Road plans. Russia financially depends on China for its aspirational Arctic plans. Meanwhile, China increasingly perceives the five Nordic states as a unit to negotiate projects under the Belt and Road Initiative and suggested a 5 + 1 format. Thus, China’s rising Arctic presence made the age-old Nordics-Russia relations triangular.
What does the Sino-Russian strategic partnership mean for the Nordics’ preference formation concerning the Polar Silk Road? This paper traces the triangular ties before and after the Crimea crisis and finds that the actors switched from liberal towards defensive neorealist perspectives. The Nordics have become worried about the Sino-Russian Arctic honeymoon, Russia’s Arctic military assertiveness and China’s intentions. As the triangular links are out-of-balance, the Nordics might apply complex balancing to achieve collective goods along the Northern Sea Route.
關鍵字:Belt and Road Initiative;Barentsgeopolitics;defensive neorealism;Euro-Arctic;connectivity
語言:en
ISSN:1478-2804;1478-2790
期刊性質:國外
收錄於:SSCI A&HCI
審稿制度:否
國別:GBR
出版型式:電子版,紙本