‘Have you entered the storehouses of the snow?’ China as a norm entrepreneur in the Arctic

Abstract

The admission of China as an observer in the Arctic Council in 2013 was a significant step in the ongoing evolution of the country's Arctic policy, but Beijing is still concerned about being accepted as a regional player given its geography and arguably lack of an Arctic history. As the Arctic becomes more open to scientific and economic engagement, China wishes to develop the idea of the Arctic as more of an international space as opposed to strictly a regional one, and to allow non-Arctic states, such as China itself, to become accepted as Arctic actors. However, in order to avoid a backlash from the Arctic states and potential exclusion from the region's development, Beijing cannot effectively be a unilateral ‘norm-maker’ in the Arctic. Instead, China has sought to develop the identity of a regional ‘norm entrepreneur’, engaging the Arctic on many levels to promote the norm of partnerships between Arctic and non-Arctic actors to promote positive sum outcomes. Through engagement via several areas and governmental levels, Beijing hopes to succeed in being widely viewed as a ‘near-Arctic state’ which can contribute to new norms, and possibly new regimes, in an Arctic which shows many signs of becoming further internationalised.

Costly Signaling and China's Strategic Engagement in Arctic Regional Governance

“…So far, it can be argued that China's costly signaling strategy has successfully fulfilled some objectives, most importantly the acceptance of China into the Arctic Council as an observer state and the massive mutually-beneficial bilateral and multilateral business activities between China and all Arctic states. However, following China's acquisition of Artic Council observer state status in 2013, the "China threat" framing has been increasingly voiced by Arctic politicians (Lanteigne, 2017). In recent years, there appears to be a growing consensus among many Arctic states that the decades of optimism about China's rise have failed and that a more competitive policy towards China is urgently in need.…”

Does Multilateralism still Matter? ASEAN and the Arctic Council in Comparative Perspective

“…But while China has used a rather effective combination of economic inducements and outright intimidation to pursue its interests in the South China Sea (Chubb, 2020), its approach to the Arctic, where it has an even more tenuous connection, has been more subtle (Perreault, 2016). On the one hand, it is argued that China has been operating as a 'norm entrepreneur', by trying to change attitudes about who should have a say in determining the future development of the region (Lanteigne, 2017). On the other hand, the Arctic is seen as a potential extension of its grandiose Belt and Road Initiative (Su & Huntington, 2021).…”

China’s Rise in a Changing World

“…Notably, China has also put forward the idea of the Arctic as a de facto 'international space', whereby non-Arctic States can have a voice in regional governance while also avoiding being seen as a 'spoiler' in the region, going against the status quo. Therefore, understanding that the Arctic is a distinct region and that Beijing is at a disadvantage compared to the Arctic Eight, China seeks to take on the persona of a 'norm entrepreneur' (Lanteigne, 2017). Inexpressible Island near the shore of the Ross Sea.…”