China will urge ships carrying its flag to change their route from Egypt’s Suez Canal to the much faster Northwest Passage in the Arctic, a state-owned Chinese newspaper said, with the world-leading trader publishing a shipping guide to the new lane. The shipping lane through the Arctic, which has been opened up by melting ices prompted by climate change, will benefit Chinese companies economically since transportation costs will be reduced, as the route is shorter than those traditionally used by China. For instance, the distance between Shanghai and Hamburg is 2800 nautical miles shorter than taking the route through the Suez Canal, according to Reuters. Despite the route being largely inaccessible during most of the year due to its ice-covered waters, the Arctic sea ice is slowly retreating, providing China with an opportunity to remold global trade flows and more forcefully assert itself as the global trade giant that it is. China’s Maritime Safety Administration published on April 5 a detailed 356-page Chinese-language guide to the new route, which includes nautical charts and information on sea ice conditions for the Northwest Passage, the China Daily newspaper said. “There will be…
China Wants to Divert its Ships From Egypt’s Suez Canal to New Arctic Route
April 21, 2016
