According to China’s Foreign Ministry on the 13th, Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee and foreign minister, met in Beijing with Nikolai Patrushev, a Kremlin aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin and chairman of Russia’s Maritime Board, to discuss maritime strategic cooperation between the two countries.
Wang said China’s proposed Polar Silk Road and Russia’s development of the Northern Sea Route were complementary, while Patrushev said Russia would draw on China’s experience in shipbuilding and logistics. It was the third step in a series following a summit in May and a working-level meeting in August.
◆ Wang Yi: “Maritime cooperation is becoming increasingly important”
At the meeting, Wang said, “China’s efforts to build the Polar Silk Road and Russia’s development of the Northern Sea Route fit together,” adding that “maritime cooperation continues to grow in importance within the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia.”
The Polar Silk Road is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. It is a plan to develop a shipping route linking Asia and Europe through the Arctic Ocean. Its route overlaps with the Northern Sea Route, which runs along Russia’s northern coast.
Wang said, “China hopes to work with Russia to strengthen the alignment of our maritime strategies, leverage our complementary strengths, safeguard our legitimate maritime rights and interests, and maintain maritime security in the Asia-Pacific region and the normal passage of vessels through major global shipping lanes.”
He also said the two countries should respect the sovereignty and security of coastal states while ensuring stable supplies of energy and resources and the safe operation of production and supply chains.
Wang proposed expanding exchanges on maritime and Arctic affairs to create new momentum for the development of bilateral relations and contribute to improving global maritime governance. China’s Foreign Ministry described that momentum as a “blue engine.”
◆ Patrushev: “We will draw on China’s shipbuilding and logistics experience”
Patrushev replied, “Amid volatile international developments, the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era is more important than ever.”
He said Russia hoped to strengthen cooperation with China on building the trans-Arctic international transport corridor that Russia is pursuing, as well as on multilateral maritime governance. He also said Russia would draw on China’s experience in shipbuilding, logistics and maritime trade to expand maritime cooperation between the two countries.
Patrushev served as secretary of Russia’s Security Council from 2008 until May 2024, before becoming a presidential aide. He now heads the Maritime Board.
His visit to China, which ran from the 8th to the 13th, was his first since becoming chairman of the Maritime Board. He was accompanied by representatives of government agencies, major logistics companies, shipbuilders, and research and educational institutions. In November last year, the transport authorities of the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on commercial shipping cooperation, including training polar navigation experts and crews for vessels operating on the Northern Sea Route.
Chinese observers see the visit as an opportunity for the two countries to coordinate their positions ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen in November.
China’s Foreign Ministry has said it welcomes President Putin’s attendance. Wang Xiaoqian, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that Russia wants Chinese investment, ships, equipment and markets to turn the Northern Sea Route into a major shipping artery.
◆ Target: 80 million tons; actual volume: 37.9 million tons
The two countries have steadily stepped up cooperation on the Northern Sea Route this year. In a joint statement issued at their May summit in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin agreed to continue practical cooperation to expand cargo volumes and develop the route.
At a bilateral subcommittee meeting on Northern Sea Route cooperation in August, China proposed boosting the route’s competitiveness by increasing shipping volumes and improving navigational safety.
According to Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom, cargo traffic on the Northern Sea Route reached a record 37.9 million tons in 2024. However, that was less than half the 80 million-ton target Putin had set for that year. Russia’s Arctic strategy sets a target of 130 million tons by 2035.
According to the Centre for High North Logistics (CHNL) in Norway, 3.2 million tons of cargo completed the full transit of the route in 2025, across 103 voyages.
Container ships made 15 transits, a record, with most traveling between Russian and Chinese ports. In 2025, the ice melted late and refroze early, leaving the sea open for no more than two weeks. Russia’s nuclear-powered icebreakers had to keep the eastern section of the route open throughout the summer.