Is the Irtysh River the choke-free Arctic shipping gateway that China needs?

The Irtysh River, a 4,248km long waterway flowing through China, Kazakhstan and Russia, is being explored as a potential Arctic shipping route by China and Russia. This route could provide inland access to the resource-rich and strategically important Arctic, avoiding traditional maritime chokepoints like the Malacca and Bering straits. These chokepoints are vulnerable to Western naval blockades, foreign coastguard surveillance and US sanctions.

China's interest in the route has been fueled by geopolitical tensions and warming temperatures making the Arctic passage more viable. Chinese freight companies are also showing interest, with the first weekly container service along the route launched this month by Sea Legend Line. Russia's Rosatom has also announced more than 30 shipments expected along the route this year, up from 14 in the previous year.

However, China's access to the route currently relies on the Bering Strait, a potential chokepoint for both China and Russia. This strait separates Russia's Chukchi Peninsula from the Seward Peninsula of Alaska, and is about 85km wide at its narrowest point. The US has been increasingly monitoring the strait due to its militarization, with regular patrols by the US and Russian navies since 2015.

In response, China is looking for alternative solutions. Artyom Lukin, a professor of international relations at Far Eastern Federal University, suggests that developing the Irtysh River could provide a backup plan in case of an extreme situation, like a total blockage of the Bering Strait.