Is the Irtysh River the choke-free Arctic shipping gateway that China needs?
A proposed Irtysh route could link China to the Arctic, but political and natural barriers would have to be overcome
At the heart of this ambition is the 4,248km (2,640-mile) Irtysh River, which originates in China’s western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and runs through Kazakhstan before flowing into Russia’s Ob River and ending in the Arctic Ocean.
More importantly, unlike traditional maritime chokepoints like the Malacca and Bering straits, the route could avoid Western naval blockades, foreign coastguard surveillance and sanctions by the United States, according to observers.
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