The Arctic Circle Forum was held in Tokyo, Japan from March 4 to 6. OUC organized a session with the theme of “Arctic Governance and Beyond: Asia’s Role and Imagination”, which demonstrates OUC’s leadership in polar governance research worldwide.

Under theme of “Asia in the Future of the Arctic”, the forum included over 40 seminars and keynote speeches, with attendance of nearly 200 government representatives, experts and scholars from the 8 Arctic countries as well as China, Japan, and South Korea. Keynote speeches were made by Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, Chairman of the Arctic Circle and former President of Iceland, and Ambassador Gao Feng, Special Representative for Arctic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, and the special envoys for Arctic Affairs of the US, Japan, and South Korea.

The Polar Research Center of OUC and China Institute for Marine Affairs (Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources) convened separate special sessions on China. Several professors from OUC gave presentations. As the convener, Prof. Chen Yitong from the School of Law presided over the social science project of the Polar Center. Prof. Dong Limin gave an online report on the latest U.S. Arctic strategy, addressing Arctic marine microplastics, and other cutting-edge topics on Arctic governance. Prof. Chen Xianyao from the Key Laboratory of Physical Oceanography (Chinese Ministry of Education) presented an online speech on the mechanisms of rapid Arctic change.

Founded in 2009, the Polar Research Center of OUC focuses on the international law and relations related to the polar regions. The Center aims at becoming a national think tank on polar law and strategy as well as a platform for training talent for marine and polar management. It has made important achievements and contributions to China’s polar legislation and policy formulation and international polar governance in recent years.