THE POLAR SILK ROAD AS A SPHERE OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND CHINA
The article analyzes the place and significance of the Arctic region and the Northern Sea Route (NSR) in Russian-Chinese relations. The forms of their interaction in the Arctic are determined by the example of the "Polar (Ice) silk road" (PSR). China identifies the Russian Federation as the key to the hidden riches of the Arctic subsurface, and the Russian Federation sees its Eastern neighbor as an investor with huge potential. The PSR is part of China's 2013 "One Belt, One Road" (OBOR) initiative. The NSR is considered in China as a competitive alternative to the New Silk Road on the territory of the Eurasian continent. The development of the Arctic transport corridor is based on the revival and modernization of the NSR for the Strategy for the Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and National Security up to 2020. The authors mention possible integration forms of the Russian and Chinese Arctic projects: including the NSR of the Russian Federation in the strategic plan OBOR; merging individual projects of the countries within the framework of both initiatives; establishing an agreement between representatives of the business segment on the development of the Arctic region; adapting projects to each other, without merging the NSR and PSR, by exchanging mutual concessions. The main conclusion: the Arctic partnership between Russia and China has a strategic potential.