The New Ice Silk Road, first proposed by Xi Jinping in 2017 as a means of opening China-Europe trade via the Arctic sea passage, has been inaugurated. China Academy reports that early in the morning on Sept. 23, a cargo vessel departed from Beilun, China, heading to Felixstowe in the U.K.
The 1,000 cargo containers on board the ship will arrive at their destination in just 18 days, compared with 30 days for the Suez Canal route between the two ports.
China Academy concludes its report: “In driving global shipping from the ‘canal era’ into the ‘polar era,’ the birth of the China-Europe Arctic Express fills in a critical piece of the puzzle. The Ice Silk Road not only offers world shipping a new artery and provides a fresh model for Arctic development, but also introduces a new vision for ‘global solidarity’ among nations of different civilizations, systems, and paths.”
