Why China is building an icebreaker fleet

Why is China building a fleet of icebreakers?

They support access to raw materials and Arctic opportunities, and can also increase capacity available in cooperation with Russia.

China depends on large imports of raw materials and wants its merchant fleet to reach suppliers around the world. Arctic access also offers a place in the development of newly accessible resources. Cooperation with Russia provides another reason to add icebreaking capacity. Wartime access remains a separate problem: protecting the wider Belt and Road network would consume substantial resources, and a prolonged conflict could force China to abandon some commitments.