China eyes more Arctic transits

China will send more ships through the Arctic to “change global maritime transport”, a spokesperson for the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) told state run China Daily newspaper yesterday.
More Chinese-flagged ships, led by China Cosco Shipping, will take the Northwest Passage via the Arctic Ocean in the coming years, the MSA reckons.
The MSA earlier this month released a 356-page guide in Chinese offering detailed route guidance from the northern coast of North America to the northern Pacific.
“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,” spokesman Liu Pengfei was quoted as saying.