China will soon publish a guide to navigating the Northeast Passage, a recently opened shortcut to Europe through the Arctic, state media reported Friday in a further sign of the country’s polar ambitions.
The route can cut the voyage from China to Europe — normally via the Straits of Malacca and the Suez Canal — by 5,186 kilometres (3,215 miles) and nine days, Zhai said.
China has made no secret of its polar enthusiasm at both ends of the globe.