The People's Republic of China 2018 Observer Review Report to the Arctic Council

I. China's contributions to the work of the Arctic Council's Working Groups, Task Forces, and/or Expert Groups

China is geographically a “Near-Arctic State”, one of the continental states that are closest to the Arctic Circle. The natural conditions of the Arctic and their changes have a direct impact on China’s climate system and ecological environment. Having long been involved in Arctic affairs, China is an active participant, builder and contributor in Arctic affairs.

The Arctic Council (“Council”) is the main inter-governmental forum on issues regarding the environment and sustainable development of the Arctic and plays an important role in addressing Arctic affairs. Since becoming an accredited observer to the Council in 2013, China strictly abides by the commitments it made at the time of applying for the status of observer. It fully supports the work of the Council,and has participated in all inter-governmental meetings open to observers under the framework of the Council. In August 2016, China set up the position of the Special Representative for Arctic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Mr.Gao Feng was appointed as the first Special Representative on 2 November of the same year. On 26 January 2018, the Government of China released the first white paper on the Arctic, which is entitled “China’s Arctic Policy”, comprehensively elaborating its policies and positions on Arctic affairs.

The Government of China recognizes the great significance of the work of the Council’s Working Groups, Task Forces and Expert Groups in promoting the goals of the Council. China has continuously taken part in the relevant work including but not limited to the following aspects:

1. CAFF: China attaches great importance to the protection of the Arctic migratory birds along the East Asian-Australasian flyway. Mr. Lu Jun and Mr. Jiang Hongxing of the National Birds Banding Center of China participated in the work of CAFF and shared information about the Arctic migratory birds protection. China also sent delegates to attend the executive meeting of AMBI held in Netherlands from 5 to 7 April 2016 and the workshop of AMBI held in Singapore from 7 to 10 January 2017, respectively. Based on the actual activities of the Arctic migratory birds in China, the delegates of China presented practical suggestions, which were incorporated in the “Arctic Migratory Birds Initiative Work Plan 2015-2019(Revised)” of CAFF. In hot sites of the Arctic migratory birds activities, the State Forestry and Grassland Administration of China works together with China’s relevant local governments to consider taking concrete protection measures to establish long-term protection mechanisms for the Arctic migratory birds.

3. AMAP: China sent experts to participate in the 30th Meeting of AMAP held in Helsinki, Finland from 17 November to 1 December 2016. At the invitation of the International Arctic Scientific Committee, Mr. Zhang Dongqi of the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences took part in the review of the fourth chapter of the Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic Program from January to March 2016.

4. PAME: Mr. Liu Yanguang of the First Institute of Oceanography of the State Oceanic Administration of China and Mr. Lu Zhibo of Tongji University participated in the 2016 PAME meeting held in Stockholm, Sweden from 31 January to 3 February 2016. Mr. Yang Haizhen and Mr. Lu Zhibo of Tongji University participated in the International Science and Policy Conference of The Ecosystem Approach to Management of Arctic Ecosystems: Status of Implementation, held in Fairbanks, Alaska of the United States from 23 to 25 August 2016, during which they introduced the latest research progress on spatial distribution of primary productivity in the Arctic Ocean and its influencing factors resulting from the 6th Arctic Scientific Expedition of China.

5. SCTF: Mr. Long Wei of the State Oceanic Administration of China participated in the 9th SCTF meeting from 6 to 8 July 2016 in Ottawa, Canada.

The University of the Arctic (“Arctic”) is an important partner with the Council. Since 2014, the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences,a member of the Council of the Arctic, has consecutively attended the annual meetings of the Council of the Arctic, including the 20th Council meeting of the Arctic from 15 to 17 August 2017. As of May 2018, 10 Chinese scientific institutes and universities, including the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences,Ocean University of China and Beijing Normal University, have joined the network of the Arctic, contributing to strengthen the Arctic education.

China was actively engaged in the international agendas related to the Arctic meteorology. From 31 March to 7 April 2017, in Prague, Czech Republic, delegates of China attended a series of meetings of the Arctic Scientific Committee and Arctic as well as the activities of the Arctic Science Summit Week, and made a special report upon invitation. Furthermore, the Chinese delegates participated in the meetings of the 8th International Sea Ice Mapping Conference, the Polar Space Task Group (PSTG) and the Year of the Polar Prediction (YOPP) under the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which were held in Bergen, Norway from 1 to 3 November 2017.

China respects the traditions and cultures of the Arctic residents including indigenous peoples, and is committed to preserving their unique lifestyles and values. During the “Arctic Frontiers” held in Norway from 25 to 28 January 2016, the State Oceanic Administration of China hosted a sideline meeting themed “Sustainable Development of indigenous people in the Arctic and Asia’s Contribution”, which was dedicated to discussing how Asian countries can contribute to the welfare of indigenous people in the Arctic. At the 20th Anniversary of the Arctic Council in 2016, China made financial contributions to the Indigenous Peoples’ Secretariat, with the aim to facilitate its work on producing a Historic Story Map of the Arctic indigenous peoples.

II. China's future plans for contributing to the work of the Arctic Council's Working Groups, Task Forces, and/or Expert Groups

China is willing to continuously adhere to its commitments made when applying to become an observer to the Arctic Council, fully support the work of the Arctic Council and participate in the international governance on the Arctic, as well as to enhance exchange and communication with Arctic indigenous peoples, with a view to contributing to the environmental protection and sustainable development in the Arctic. For these purposes, China plans to carry out the following work:

1. To continue its participation in the ministerial and Senior Arctic Official(SAO) meetings under the framework of the Arctic Council.

2. To continuously recommend more experts to the work of the Arctic Council’s Working Groups, Task Forces and Expert Groups.

3. To make good preparations for the AMBI China Workshop on the Protection of Spoon-billed Sandpiper, to be hosted by China in the second half of 2018, with a view to improving the protection of fauna and flora in the Arctic, including Arctic migratory birds.

4. Planning to hold an Arctic Circle China Forum in 2019 with the aim to discuss Arctic-related topics including strengthening international cooperation.

5. To continuously deepen the understanding and knowledge of the Arctic science, and explore the natural laws behind its changes and development, with the Ninth Chinese Arctic Scientific Expedition to be organized and conducted in the summer of 2018.

6. To continue its efforts to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation with Arctic States and other non-Arctic States, including sending delegates to participate in the 2nd Arctic Scientific Ministerial to be held in Berlin, Germany in October 2018. Also, to continue its bilateral dialogues on Arctic affairs with the United States, Russia, Iceland, the United Kingdom and France.

7. To continue its work with Iceland on a joint program of building aurora observatory at Karholl, Iceland, which is expected to commence its observation work in part in October 2018. The observatory is designed to undertake continuous observation in the Arctic of ocean, glacier, space and weather, etc.

III. China's contributions to other aspects of the Arctic Council and its goals not covered by the previous sections

China carries out pragmatic work on understanding and protecting the Arctic, and actively conducts communications with other parties on Arctic affairs,contributing to other aspects of the Arctic Council and its goals.

1. Continuously carrying out scientific research in the Arctic

China has carried out eight scientific expeditions to the Arctic since 1999. The Seventh and Eighth expeditions were conducted respectively in 2016 and 2017. The Eighth one achieved the circumpolar voyage in the Arctic Ocean for the first time,and carried out investigations of key elements relating to ocean basic environment,sea ice，biodiversity and marine plastics, thus expanding the scope and contents of environmental investigation for the Arctic oceans and accumulating scientific data for the understanding and protection of the Arctic.

2. Actively addressing climate change

China attaches great importance to and actively address the issue of climate change, and has made significant contributions to the conclusion of the Paris Agreement. China Meteorological Administration has continuously carried out research on the effects of climate change on the Arctic, particularly the effects of the Arctic dipole on the Arctic sea ice. The relevant research outcome was published on the International Journal of Climatology in 2016.

3. Pushing forward environmental protection and resources conservation in the Arctic

China values the protection of the unique natural environment and ecosystems in the Arctic. China has conducted long-term monitoring and studies with respect to the persistent organic pollutants in the Arctic with the support of the Chinese Arctic Yellow River Station located in Ny-Alesund, Norway, and the Xue Long research vessel. From December 2015 to December 2017, China participated in all six rounds of negotiations on the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean and contributed a lot to its final conclusion, so as to effectively promote the conservation of fishing resources in the Arctic Ocean.

4. Actively carrying out communications on Arctic affairs

China has carried out bilateral consultations on Arctic affairs with all Arctic States. Among them, in 2010, China and the United States set up an annual dialogue mechanism for law of the sea and polar affairs. Since 2013, China and Russia have continuously conducted dialogues on Arctic issues. In 2012, China and Iceland signed the Framework Agreement on Arctic Cooperation. Meanwhile,China attaches importance to communication and cooperation with non-Arctic States. It has conducted bilateral dialogues on the law of the sea and polar affairs with the United Kingdom and France respectively. In 2016, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea launched high-level trilateral dialogues on Arctic affairs to promote exchanges on practices and experiences regarding Arctic scientific research and commercial cooperation. The third round of the trilateral dialogues will be held in Shanghai, China in June 2018.

5. Hosting or actively participating in international meetings relating to the Arctic

Two China-Nordic Arctic Cooperation Symposiums held respectively in Helsinki, Finland in June 2016, and in Dalian, China in May 2017, have greatly facilitated the communication and cooperation between China and the Nordic on Arctic issues. China sent delegations to attend various multilateral meetings relating to the Arctic, including “the Arctic Circle” and the “Arctic Frontiers”. The Chinese delegates participated in the first White House Arctic Science Ministerial held in Washington D. C., the United States on 28 September 2016, and signed the Joint Statement of Ministerial.

The full text of the report is available at https://oaarchive.arctic-council.org/handle/11374/2251.