The Ice Silk Road: A new route linking China and Europe

The Arctic is opening a new frontier for global shipping. China has launched a seasonal weekly container service linking its eastern port city Ningbo with Europe through the Northeast Passage, cutting shipment times between Asia and Europe by nearly half. But can the Arctic route move beyond a seasonal shortcut to become a major global shipping corridor? And what will it take to overcome the challenges of ice, infrastructure, geopolitics and environmental protection? Host TU Yun joins LIU Dan, a professor at the Law School, Tong Ji University, Halldór Jóhannsson, the Director of Arctic Portal, an Iceland-based non-profit organization supporting sustainable development in the Arctic, and LIANG Linlin, a Brussels-based commentator on China-EU economic and trade relations to explore the opportunities and challenges of the emerging Ice Silk Road.