zerohedge
Tyler Durden Sept 15, 2018
[excerpt]
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-09-14/china-launches-first-domestically-built-icebreak-polar-silk-roadIn 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping introduced the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an ambitious effort to promote regional cooperation and connectivity on a trans-continental scale via infrastructure-building projects covering Eurasia, various oceans, and parts of Africa.
In early 2018, the Chinese government released “China’s Arctic Policy,†a white paper outlining how the BRI will construct infrastructure projects along Arctic routes, and urged its largest shipping companies to conduct trial voyages through the frigid waters. The report emphasized that China has “shared interests†with Arctic countries.
China launched its first domestically built icebreaker named Xue Long 2 (雪龙2), which translates to “Snow Dragon,†in a ceremony at the Jiangnan Shipyard on Monday. Arctic Today News said the new icebreaker would support China's first official Arctic policy, in which Beijing placed "special emphasis" on sea routes in the Arctic Ocean.
