Svalbard, Influenced by International Regimes and Laws with Increased Chinese Involvement
Author
Bro, Jakob Kjeldsen
Term
4. term
Publication year
2021
Submitted on
2021-01-03
Pages
64
Abstract
This thesis examines the growing Chinese interest in the Arctic and how China engages with international institutions and law to expand access to the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. Guided by Robert O. Keohane’s Neoliberal Institutionalism, it analyzes how evolving regimes and legal frameworks—especially the Spitsbergen Treaty, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the Arctic Council—shape opportunities for both Arctic and non-Arctic states. The study situates China’s approach within its broader global rise, the creation of or participation in alternative institutions (e.g., AIIB and SCO), policy initiatives such as the 2018 Arctic White Paper and the Polar Silk Road, and its research presence on Svalbard. Based on the analysis, the thesis finds that China has increased its influence in international organizations and regimes and seeks to shape norms and interpretations of international law in ways that could facilitate greater access to Svalbard and the wider Arctic. The project underscores Svalbard’s unique legal status and the implications of a more multipolar order for Arctic governance.
Specialet undersøger den voksende kinesiske interesse for Arktis og hvordan Kina engagerer sig i internationale institutioner og folkeret for at udvide adgangen til den norske øgruppe Svalbard. Med afsæt i Robert O. Keohanes neoliberale institutionalisme analyseres, hvordan udviklingen i regimer og retslige rammer—særligt Svalbardtraktaten (Spitsbergen Treaty), FN’s Havretskonvention (UNCLOS) og Arktisk Råd—former mulighederne for både arktiske og ikke-arktiske stater. Undersøgelsen sætter Kinas tilgang ind i konteksten af landets globale fremgang, opbygningen af eller deltagelsen i alternative institutioner (fx AIIB og SCO), politiske initiativer som Arktis-hvidbogen fra 2018 og den Polare Silkevej samt Kinas forskningsnærvær på Svalbard. På baggrund af analysen konkluderer specialet, at Kina har øget sin indflydelse i internationale organisationer og regimer og søger at præge normer og fortolkninger af folkeretten på måder, der kan give større adgang til Svalbard og det bredere Arktis. Specialet fremhæver Svalbards særlige folkeretlige status og betydningen af en mere multipolær verdensorden for arktisk styring.
[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]