Dr. Camilla Tenna Nørup Sørensen, Associate Professor at the Royal Danish Defence College, discusses the changing geopolitical dynamics of the Arctic.

“If China starts pushing for a more open, international alternative to the Arctic Council and governance led by Arctic states,” Dr. Sørensen argues, a vacuum could be opened for “China and other non-Arctic states to argue that other governance mechanisms are needed in the Arctic.”

As the Arctic gains greater global attention, the Nordic states have a strong interest in maintaining the norms and international governance that have contributed to the region’s low-tensions and spirit of cooperation.

Image: Chinese icebreaker Xuě Lóng (Snow Dragon) (photo: International Polar Foundation)