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Genevieve Donnellon-May
Opinion
Genevieve Donnellon-May

China’s ‘Arctic Express’ shows its ambitions at the top of the world

The Arctic express shipping route accelerates China’s trade reach and influence, challenges Western influence and navigates uncharted waters

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China’s icebreaker Xuelong 2 ploughs a waterway on December 3, 2023. Photo: Xinhua
Genevieve Donnellon-May
Genevieve Donnellon-May is a geopolitical and global strategy adviser interested in regional resource conflict and environmental governance in Asia and Africa.

Could a single shipping route shift both trade flows and geopolitical influence? China’s new “Arctic Express” to Europe leverages melting ice to bypass chokepoints and challenge Western dominance.

In a significant step for Arctic commercial shipping, China’s Haijie Shipping Company will launch the first regular container service linking Asia and Northern Europe via the Northern Sea Route on September 20. The Istanbul Bridge, with a 4,890 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) capacity and a low ice class, can safely travel through ice-free summer waters.

The route connects three Chinese ports – Qingdao, Shanghai and Ningbo – to Britain’s Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Hamburg and Poland’s Gdansk. By navigating the Northern Sea Route and bypassing Russian ports, it cuts the journey from Ningbo-Zhoushan to Felixstowe to just 18 days. That is faster than the 40-day shipment time through the Suez Canal, 50-plus days sailing around the Horn of Africa and 25 days travelling overland via the China-Europe rail line.

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