We are happy to announce the launch of a new series of online roundtables, the CHERN China-Russia Talks. Throughout the coming months, we will explore with experts different angles of the cooperation between Beijing and Moscow as well as the limitations and frictions between the two.
China and Russia in the Arctic – partners or rivals?
Wednesday, 24 April 2026
3:00-4:15 PM (Brussels time)
Join us for this online roundtable on one of the High North’s most consequential questions: to what degree are Russia and China cooperating in the Arctic—and where are they starting to compete?
Beijing has explicitly framed itself as a “near-Arctic state” and promoted a “Polar Silk Road” vision for Arctic shipping and connectivity. Russia, meanwhile, has leaned on Chinese capital and demand in flagship Arctic energy projects—most notably Yamal LNG, where CNPC holds 20% and China’s Silk Road Fund 9.9%. Security signalling has also grown more visible, including joint coast guard activity in the Bering Sea (2023) and Russia–China patrols near Alaska.
But the relationship is not a seamless alliance: analysts point to pragmatic, interest-driven cooperation and enduring divergences over rules, access, and control—especially around the Northern Sea Route.
To what degree are China and Russia cooperating? Where do both countries hold competing interests? How is this impacting US policy? And: What are the implications for Europe?
Join our outstanding online panel.
Speakers:
Rush Doshi, Director of the China Strategy Initiative at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and former deputy senior director for China and Taiwan on the National Security Council (NSC) under US President Joe Biden
Marc Lantaigne, Professor and researcher in politics, security and international relations at the University of Tromsø: The Arctic University of Norway (UiT)
Minna Ålander, Analyst at the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies (SCEEUS) and Associate Fellow at Chatham House Europe Programme in London
Moderator:
Tim Rühlig, Senior Analyst Global China, European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS)
