The Chinese “(big) polar game“

Climate changes have caused ice melting in the Arctic, thus creating new conditions in the region. Apart from making access to hydrocarbon deposits the Arctic region is rich in, new ways of transportation have appeared. In summer, the region is almost completely passable, thus making the routes between America and Asia much shorter. This has drawn attention not only of Arctic states, but also of some others, these especially including big exporters of consumer goods, as China and Japan are. The paper analyses the position of China with regard to other countries that are interested in exploitation of the Arctic region with focus on transport, in particular. Special attention is directed towards the strategic orientations of the Chinese management, this including the analysis of its approach, but also the positions of the international and especially the Chinese academic circles concerning the political and economic implications of joining of China to “the Arctic race“.