Arctic cooperation’s not inevitable now --- it’s dependent on US action
Gasper 18 (Donald Gasper, 09-12-2018, "Stung by US tariffs and sanctions, China and Russia team up in the Arctic," South China Morning Post, https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/asia/article/2163719/china-and-russia-want-develop-arctic-energy-resources) ank
From China’s perspective, the exploitation of oil and gas in the Arctic needs to be accompanied by construction of the northern sea route. Both Arctic energy resources and the shipping route require further investments of capital and technology, so political will is required from both Russia and China. Why China-Russia relations are warming up in the Arctic In the past, Chinese scholars admit, China was cautious about getting involved in projects that might antagonise relations with the US. After the start of the trade war, initiated by the Trump administration, the situation may have changed. A precondition for greater Chinese involvement in projects with Russia is likely to be being granted more say in how the projects are run. China does not simply want to be part of such projects – it wants to have a stake that will permit it to have a role in management.
