The presentation provides an overview of the international regulatory framework for foreign investments in the Arctic region with existing and potential Chinese investment in mind. On a conceptual level, it presents the internationally backed regulatory objectives as legal guidelines for the sustainable development of the region. The inquiry further highlights the peculiarities of the investment treaty framework between China and the community of Arctic States, names the disadvantages of outdated treaty provisions and calls for their update and renegotiation.

The presentation is based on a chapter in the Routledge Handbook of Polar Law (edited by Vibe Garf Ulfbeck, Yoshifumi Tanaka and Rachael Lorna Johnstone, 2023).