ASIAN STRATEGIES TOWARDS THE NORTHERN SEA ROUTE – Seminar on December 11, 2014 at the University of Turku
ASIAN STRATEGIES TOWARDS THE NORTHERN SEA ROUTE
The seminar presentations focus on how Asian states such as China, Japan, South Korea and India, all of which have been recently accepted to be the new Permanent Observers of the Arctic Council, are developing strategies on the Northern Sea Route. The opening up of this sealane passage in Eurasian Arctic waters with the reported retreating of the polar ice cap is of enormous strategic significance for future trade, environmental and geopolitical relations.
Time: Thursday, 11 December, at 9:00-16:00.
Venue: Calonia 2 (Faculty of Law), University of Turku. Building T23 on this map http://www.utu.fi/fi/Yliopisto/kartta/Sivut/home.aspx
Registration by Dec 7:
https://www.webropolsurveys.com/S/FB5C695F6677AD0A.par
Preliminary program for Thursday, December 11, 2014
9:00 Welcoming Words, Prof Henri Vogt, Head of the Department of Political Science
9:15 Vijay Sakhuja, Director, National Maritime Foundation
India and the Northern Sea Route: Drivers, Opportunities and Challenges
9:45 Christopher M. Dent, Professor of East Asia’s International Political Economy, University of Leeds, Department of East Asian Studies
Northern Sea Route Trade: Assessing the Long-term Prospects and Potential Problems
10:15 Xiaonan Cong, Dr, and Mou Wang, Dr, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Institute of Urban and Environmental Studies
An CGE-based Simulation of the Impact of Utilizing NSR on Main Economies of the World
10:45 Lassi Heininen, Professor, University of Lapland, International Relations
International Relations in the Arctic (TBC)
11.15 Lunch break
12.15 Taedong Lee, Assistant Professor, Yonsei University, Political Science
Barriers of Voyaging Northern Sea Route: A Perspective from Shipping Companies
12.45 Natsuhiko Otsuka, Dr, North Japan Port Consultants Co., Ltd; Hokkaido & Toru Tamura, Prof, Hokkaido University, Division of Engineering and Policy for Sustainable Environment
Feasibility of the Northern Sea Route – navigability, shipping cost and maritime transport
13.15 Cheng Baozhi, Dr, Shanghai Institute for International Studies
The Development of Northern Sea Route and the Potential Asian Countries Cooperation
13.45 Tea/coffee break
14.15 Scott Bremer, Researcher, University of Bergen, Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities
Narratives along the Northern Sea Route
14.45 Elana Wilson-Rowe, Dr, Senior Research Fellow, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
The Politics of Reception: Arctic states meeting Asian states
15.15 Aki Tonami, Researcher, Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, Asia in the changing Arctic –project
Let the Arctic Silk Road Come: Paradiplomacy by subnational actors of Hokkaido
15.45-16.00 Concluding words
The “ASIAN STRATEGIES TOWARDS THE NORTHERN SEA ROUTE” -project team was formed in 2013 and currently it has 20 members. The aim of the team is to build up a research project that is focused on how Asian states such as China, Japan, South Korea and India, all of which have been recently accepted to be the new Permanent Observers of the Arctic Council, are developing strategies on the Northern Sea Route. The opening up of this sealane passage in Eurasian Arctic waters with the reported retreating of the polar ice cap is of enormous strategic significance for future trade, environmental and geopolitical relations. This project will make an in-depth study on Asian strategies on this critically important emerging issue.
The workshop is organized by:
Prof Christopher Dent, University of Leeds
Dr Outi Luova, University of Turku
Dr Aki Tonami, Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, Asia in the changing Arctic -project, Copenhagen
The seminar has received generous funding from the Finnish University Network for Asian Studies, the Wihuri Foundation, the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies and the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Turku.
For further inquiries, please contact Outi Luova at outi.luova@utu.fi; tel 02-333 5017.