Recently, Professor Dai Yonghong—Distinguished Professor and Dean of our institute—and postdoctoral fellow Wang Junhao published an academic article titled “The Impact of Arctic Shipping Route Competition on Asia-Pacific Maritime Security and Pathways for Collaborative Governance” in Issue 5, 2026 of Asia-Pacific Security and Maritime Studies, an authoritative journal in the fields of maritime security and international studies. The article is a phased research output of two projects: the Major Program of the National Social Science Fund of China, “Research on the Security Implications of Developments in the Bay of Bengal Region for China’s ‘East Data, West Computing’ Project,” chaired by Professor Dai Yonghong; and the project “Research on China's Engagement with International Organizations for the High-Quality Development of the Belt and Road Initiative,” supported by the Humanities and Social Sciences High-Level Team Excellence Program under Shenzhen University’s High-Level University Development Initiative (Phase III).
Asia-Pacific Security and Maritime Studies is jointly sponsored by the Institute of Asian and African Development Studies of the Development Research Center of the State Council and the Collaborative Innovation Center for South China Sea Studies of Nanjing University. It is a high-level, authoritative academic journal dedicated to regional security and maritime issues in the Asia-Pacific. The journal enjoys outstanding academic influence and is concurrently indexed in three major authoritative core journal databases: the Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index (CSSCI) source journals, the National Chinese Core Journals (Peking University Core), and the core journals of the AMI Comprehensive Evaluation System for Chinese Humanities and Social Sciences Journals. According to data from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), the journal’s composite impact factor stands at 4.901 and its comprehensive impact factor at 2.778; its article citation frequency and download volume both rank among the highest in the fields of political science and international studies. As a leading academic platform for maritime security and international studies in China, the journal is known for the high quality of its published work and enjoys an excellent reputation in the academic community. It is reported that this article is the first paper by a Shenzhen University scholar to appear in Asia-Pacific Security and Maritime Studies. This not only marks the team's solid and sustained scholarship on Arctic shipping route strategy, but also signifies a new breakthrough in the disciplinary development of area studies and international studies.
The study argues that global warming has extended the navigable window of Arctic shipping routes, substantially raising their commercial and strategic value and drawing close attention from states worldwide. Behind the development of these routes lie not only economic interests and resource exploitation, but also complex geopolitical rivalry. The study points out that while the regularized operation of Arctic routes offers Asia-Pacific countries a strategic alternative to traditional sea lanes and expands the scope of maritime trade, it simultaneously generates multiple traditional and non-traditional security challenges.
To examine this mechanism and identify governance pathways, the study moves beyond the conventional bias of “prioritizing Arctic states while neglecting Asia-Pacific interactions,” and constructs a systematic analytical framework from the perspective of the traditional–non-traditional security nexus. Through process tracing and comparative analysis, the study finds that, in terms of traditional security, sovereignty disputes over Arctic shipping routes undermine the foundations of the Asia-Pacific maritime security order, while militarized competition in the Arctic risks spilling over into the Asia-Pacific region. In terms of non-traditional security, navigational hazards in extreme environments threaten the resilience of Asia-Pacific maritime supply chains, and the accompanying vessel-source pollution and invasive alien species accelerate the transregional transmission of ecological risks into Asia-Pacific waters.
The study further develops a three-tier, progressive “Arctic–Asia-Pacific” collaborative governance architecture spanning the global, regional, and national levels. It proposes supplementing and amending the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other multilateral rules at the global level; building collaborative mechanisms covering scientific research, search and rescue, and environmental protection at the regional level; and pursuing strategic alignment through bilateral cooperation such as the “Polar Silk Road” at the national level. The study validates the effectiveness of the collaborative governance framework, extends the research frontier on the security spillover effects of Arctic shipping routes, and provides a new lens for understanding maritime security practices and Asia-Pacific governance amid great-power competition.
First Proofread: Wang Junhao
Second Proofread: Fu Le
Third Proofread: Dai Yonghong
