Asia Sentinel

Asia Sentinel

Business/Economy

The Northern Sea Route: China’s Emerging Alternative to Suez

How Russia and China are turning the Arctic into Asia’s latest strategic battleground

Aug 24, 2026
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By: Andy Wong Ming Jung

Russia and China have recently intensified their respective Arctic convoy sailings along the Northern Sea Route (NSR). Russia has put to sea its largest-ever shadow tanker convoy, with 20 vessels entering Arctic waters as far north as 500 miles shy of the North Pole on eastbound voyages to Chinese refineries. Russia has also appro…

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