Newsletter: Russia Turning Its Back on the West
Henry Tillman, Founder of China Investment Research, gave a descriptive presentation of the Polar Silk Road during the Arctic Circle Assembly 2021 in Iceland and discussed the different sea passage routes and main railways of the the One Belt, One Road Initiative. (Photo: Trine Jonassen)
While the West has managed a Covid-19 pandemic, Russia has spent time developing business towards the East and is hardly looking back.
“There is a business shift from the West to the East with major investments under the umbrella of The Polar Silk Road”, founder of China Investment Research Henry Tillmann said to High North News following his explaining the situation during the Arctic Circle conference in Iceland last week.
“Western sanctions have left the road wide open for a Sino-Russian expansion second to none”, High North News Editor-in-Chief Arne O. Holm says in his summary of the eventful days on the saga island.
Not unexpectedly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that Russia will suspend its NATO mission.
This week also brought the news that Rostelecom will open a data center on the Kola Peninsula by mid-2022.
An industrial success in the High North
This week's gem is that you can join High North News on an exclusive visit into one of the world's largest aluminum corporations; the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa). Or rather, Alcoa's plant in Mosjøen, Northern Norway. Some 60 years ago, Alcoa arrived in the little town just south of the Arctic Circle. Since then, the aluminum plant has become a cornerstone enterprise in the industry town.
While even further north, in Svalbard, the plans for a fish and crab landing plant in Barentsburg have been put on hold. At the same time, Norwegian scientists work to find out what it will take to establish local fisheries.
Climate news
The Biden administration will not appeal the court decision blocking the North Slope oil development project in Alaska, news pleasing indigenous groups that have long fought the project.
Perhaps no idea to leave the ground alone when there are reports about half the main road through Denali National Park and Preserve remaining shut through 2022 due to landslides increasingly caused by global warming.
Do also read the latest Corona news from the Arctic (Norwegian only) and a whole lot more at High North News!
The editorial staff wishes you all the best for the weekend! Remember to tip us off about what goes on in your Arctic.
Trine Jonassen,
News Editor, High North News