Russia and China Sign Landmark Agreement to Expand Arctic Trade via Northern Sea Route

Russia and China signed a cooperation deal in October 2025 to jointly develop the Northern Sea Route (NSR) for year-round shipping.
The agreement was finalized during the second meeting of the Subcommittee on NSR Cooperation in Harbin, China, on October 14, 2025.
Participants included Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev and Chinese Transport Minister Liu Wei.

Joint projects will focus on building Arctic-class cargo ships, nuclear-powered icebreakers, and logistics infrastructure.
The action plan includes cooperation in navigation systems, crew training, ice/weather data sharing, and port development.
Cargo volumes between Russia and China along the NSR are expected to exceed 400,000 tons in 2025, with a target of 20 million tons by 2030.
A record Arctic container transit from Ningbo (China) to Felixstowe (UK) was completed in 20 days, half the time of southern routes.

The NSR reduces shipping distance between Asia and Europe by up to 40% (around 7,000 km).
According to Rosatom, “Sea freight from Tokyo to London via the Suez Canal takes 40 days, whereas using the NSR takes up to 20 days depending on the season.”
The route is free of piracy and has lower emissions due to nuclear-powered icebreakers.

Rosatom operates 8 nuclear icebreakers, including Project 22220, capable of breaking 3 meters of ice.
New Project 10510 icebreakers are under construction with RITM-400 reactors and 4-meter icebreaking capability.
Joint ventures are building high-ice-class vessels for year-round container shipping.

Rosatom reported a 20% increase in NSR ship voyages in 2025.
The NSR handled 37.9 million tons of cargo in 2024, with traffic expected to grow steadily.
Russia and China aim to make the NSR a major Eurasian logistics corridor, reducing reliance on traditional routes like the Suez Canal.
Chinese youth are participating in Arctic educational expeditions organized by Rosatom as part of bilateral cooperation.