
Arctic Initiative
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Co-Chair
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Co-Chair
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Director

China Isn't Buying Up the Arctic: New Study Offers Reality Check on Chinese Arctic Investments
Chinese investment in the Arctic has been exaggerated in Western media and public debate, according to a new study published by researchers at Harvard University and Canada’s Trent University, contradicting a common narrative that China is "buying up the Arctic" through its Polar Silk Road initiative.
About the Arctic Initiative
The Arctic has become a crucible in which the fast-warming climate is generating cascading impacts both within and beyond the region. It is compounding economic and social changes facing the region’s economies and Indigenous and local cultures. And it is complicating governance within and among Arctic nations, as well as relations among Arctic-interested countries more widely.
Launched in 2017, the Arctic Initiative seeks to contribute to the interdisciplinary, multidimensional, collaborative analysis and responsive actions that this complex of problems and opportunities requires. Our team of faculty, fellows, and staff works closely with officials and experts across the circumpolar region to advance work in five focus areas: enhancing community resilience in a changing Arctic, developing responses to the local and global impacts of permafrost thaw, addressing issues in Arctic Ocean management, charting a course for future Arctic governance, and training the next generation of Arctic leaders.
Our Work
We build pathways to inform policy decisions and actions that advance sustained Arctic cooperation and resilience.
Related Programs
We are a joint project of the Belfer Center's Environment and Natural Resources Program and the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program.