State’s Image as Future Capital : A study of China’s cooperation with Russia on developments in the Arctic

China’s influence on the global stage is constantly expanding. Recently, a considerable amount of attention has been paid by the Chinese officials to the developments in the Arctic region. Majority of scientific works which have focused on the underlying rationale behind Chinese presence in the Arctic used theoretical tools provided by either liberal institutionalism or realism. Consequently, the picture painted by them is rather pale and does not allow for a sufficient understanding of the Chinese grand international strategy. Chinese actions are presented in one dimension only – either as a threat or being in line with international law. This thesis aims to broaden theoretical scope by using the tools of post-structuralism for analyzing and comparing two radically different discourses on the Arctic – Chinese and Russian. This study’s main argument is that China uses its Arctic presence and cooperation with Russia as a tool for building and projecting its amiable, yet assertive international image, which essentially becomes China’s future capital and a basis for even stronger international position in the years to come.