An assessment of China's participation in polar subregional organizations

International cooperation is vital for the polar regions. China's past polar cooperation has tended to focus on intergovernmental and bilateral mechanisms rather than regional cooperation. However, regional and subregional cooperation is playing an increasing role in the polar regions with the rapid development of geopolitics and global climate change. Involvement in three subregional polar organizations—the Asian Forum for Polar Sciences (AFoPS), the Pacific Arctic Group (PAG), and the China-Nordic Arctic Research Center (CNARC)—in the last two decades reflects China's improved skills and flexibility in participating in international polar cooperation and represents an exercise in the "win-win" principle under China's Arctic policy. This paper presents a review of the development of polar subregional cooperation, examines China's participation in three of subregional organizations and provides feasible suggestions for China's future engagement with these organizations.