China launches its first domestically built icebreaker
With the launch of Xue Long 2, China now matches the U.S. in terms of operational icebreakers. And more Polar Class icebreakers are already on the drawing board.
China launched the Xue Long 2 (雪龙2), which translates to “Snow Dragon,” in an elaborate ceremony at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai on Monday. The new icebreaker follows on the heels of China’s first official Arctic policy announced in early 2018, in which the country placed special emphasis on maritime navigation and the importance of open access to the Arctic Ocean. It aims to include the region in its Belt and Road Initiative as a new “Polar Silk Road.”
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