China’s Participation in Arctic Governance from the Perspective of International Law

Abstract

From the perspective of international law, as a non-Arctic state, China’s participation in Arctic governance evolves through three stages: passive involvement, active exploration, and policy integration. China holds significant interests in the Arctic region, spanning environmental, economic, and security dimensions, and possesses corresponding legal mechanisms under international law. Currently, China’s engagement in the international legal system of Arctic governance faces challenges such as institutional exclusivity in Arctic governance, fragmentation of international legal rules, an underdeveloped domestic polar legal framework, and an immature capacity for rule-making. To address these issues, China may adopt strategies including leveraging existing international organizations and international law-based systems, advancing the construction of its domestic polar legal framework, fostering a multi-tiered and multi-stakeholder participation framework, and proposing responsible governance concepts and solutions.