Global effort urged on 'Polar Silk Road'

China says international cooperation key to developing Arctic shipping routes

China has called for stronger international cooperation on the establishment and operation of Arctic shipping routes as it elaborates on a vision of a "Polar Silk Road" in its first white paper on Arctic policy.

As a result of global warming, the Arctic shipping routes, made up of three passages, are likely to become important transportation routes for international trade, according to the white paper released by the State Council Information Office on Friday.