Its opposition to the commercialisation of Arctic transit comes amid rising anxiety over Beijing and Moscow’s closer polar collaboration
5-MIN READ5-MINCarol Yangin BeijingandCao Jiaxuanin BeijingPublished: 11:00pm, 4 Sep 2026As Beijing and Moscow double down on the Arctic shipping route, Europe is hitting the brakes.Despite being the main destination for goods along the route and accounting for most of the world’s shipping giants, Europe opposes the commercialisation of Arctic transits, wary of fragile polar ecosystems and navigational risks amid rising anxiety over Russia and China’s closer polar collaboration.
Europe’s concerns are reflected in an updated EU Arctic policy that is expected to be issued later this year.
