China Pushes ‘Polar Silk Road’ Into Arctic
China has announced plans to develop Arctic shipping routes through ice opened by global warming....
by Cindy | Jan 28, 2018
China has announced plans to develop Arctic shipping routes through ice opened by global warming....
by Samuel Wade | Nov 14, 2014
This week’s Economist examines Kazakhstan’s part in building a new trans-Eurasian...
by Samuel Wade | Sep 11, 2013
As the pioneering voyage of the Chinese container ship Yong Sheng through the Northeast Passage...
by Samuel Wade | Aug 13, 2013
The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts that China is likely to become the world’s largest net oil importer as soon as October: The imminent emergence of China as the world’s largest net oil importer has...
by Samuel Wade | Jun 14, 2013
Nicaragua’s National Assembly has, as expected, approved plans for a Chinese firm to build and run a new waterway to rival the Panama Canal. From José De Córdoba at The Wall Street Journal: Supporters of the 50-year...
by Samuel Wade | Jun 7, 2013
A Chinese company has been awarded a 100-year, $40 billion contract to build and operate a canal across Nicaragua, competing with the nearly 100-year-old Panama Canal. From Jonathan Watts at The Guardian: The president of the...
by Samuel Wade | May 15, 2013
Wednesday is expected [see update below] to see a decision by the eight member states of the Arctic Council on China’s third bid for observer status. Japan, South Korea, India, the E.U., Greenpeace and others have also...
by Samuel Wade | Mar 15, 2013
China’s appetite for raw materials has become a source of concern from Afghanistan and Mongolia to Peru and Zambia. Now, these tensions appear to have spread to Greenland, where the prospect of Chinese encroachment...
by Melissa M. Chan | Oct 23, 2012
Bloomberg reports China is banning foreign vessels from sailing on its domestic waterways, which are among the busiest in the world. Amid the economic slowdown, the shipping industry was hit by a contraction in trade: Overseas...
by Samuel Wade | Dec 21, 2011
Finnish dock workers have discovered 69 Patriot surface-to-air missiles and around 160 tonnes of explosives aboard a British-flagged ship bound for Shanghai. It is unknown where the missiles themselves were to be unloaded:...
by Samuel Wade | May 12, 2011
The Yangtze River, which carries 80% of China’s river freight, has been closed to ocean-going vessels in response to historically low water levels. From the AFP: The water level along the lower reaches of the river near...
by Samuel Wade | Feb 22, 2011
Recent reports of a proposed Chinese-built railway across Colombia, bypassing the Panama Canal, have prompted mixed reactions. The Financial Times noted that responses in Colombian newspaper El Tiempo were “split between...
by Sophie Beach | Apr 14, 2010
Two crewmen aboard the CHinese coal-carrying ship that slammed into the Great Barrier Reef have been arrested, AFP reports: Australian Federal Police swooped on the men who were on board the Shen Neng 1, which rammed into a...
by Sophie Beach | Apr 4, 2010
A Chinese coal-carrying ship is leaking oil after slamming into the Great Barrier Reef. From AP: The Chinese Shen Neng 1 ran aground late Saturday on Douglas Shoals, a favorite pristine haunt for recreational fishing east of the...
by Liu Yong | Dec 27, 2009
From Xinhua: A hijacked Chinese bulk carrier and 25 Chinese crew members aboard were successfully rescued at 3 a.m. on Dec. 28, according to Chinese Marine Search and Rescue Center. After the rescue mission, Chinese Foreign...
by Sophie Beach | Oct 19, 2009
Somali pirates have captured a Chinese ship in the Indian Ocean, MSN reports: China’s Ministry of Transport said relevant government agencies were making efforts to rescue a hijacked Chinese bulk carrier in the Indian...
by Zhaohua Li | Mar 3, 2008
Looks like we might soon be adding another superlative to the Chinese economy’s already swollen list. From AFP: “Last year, the order books at Chinese shipyards surpassed those of Japan, to be second only to South...
by Xiao Qiang | Jul 6, 2005
From Xinhua: Increased shipping, spurred by the country’s expanding economy, is creating unprecedented levels of pollution, a situation China’s Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) is working to remedy. Speaking yesterday, Liu Gongchen, deputy director-general of MSA, said his administration is working to establish a compensation regime for oil pollution from ships to guarantee financial support for […]