Sino-Russian Scientific Cooperation in the Arctic: From Deep Sea to Deep Space

Abstract

This paper focuses on Sino-Russian scientific cooperation in the Arctic over the time period from 2012 to the current day. Academic cooperation with China entails more than meets the eye, as Chinese counterparts see the interactions with their partners from the prism of people-to-people diplomacy designed to create positive sentiment towards Chinese interests via non-governmental exchanges. The first part of this paper focuses on this engagement and Chinese attempts to steer the discourse in support of its interests in the Arctic. Foreign academics and leaders at the local level, untrained in the Chinese language and political system and unfamiliar with the hidden meanings of academic exchanges, become vulnerable and valuable targets for Chinese influence activities due to their high standing and access to valuable knowledge. The second part of the paper investigates the Sino-Russian scientific cooperation and capacity building that enables China to become a great maritime power—not always for the benefit of Russia, and to the disadvantage of NATO.