From May 24 to 25, Gao Fei, a graduate student of the School of Law, the Ocean University of China, and Wang Ran, a master's student of the School of International Relations and Public Administration, the Ocean University of China, were invited to participate in the conference “Youth Arctic: Science for the Future.”

The conference was held in Khanty-Mansiysk, the capital of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Yugra. The forum was organized jointly by the Government of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug-Yugra, The Northern Forum, the North-Eastern Federal University, the Russian-Asian Consortium for Arctic Research and the Yugra State University. The aim of the conference is to increase the efficiency of Arctic research and development, develop the interest of young people in Arctic problems, define the scientific vision of the future development of the Arctic, and promote regional and international scientific cooperation.

At the opening ceremony of the conference on May 24, the Governor of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Yugra Natalia Komarova emphasized the importance of Arctic research and the key role of youth groups in it. She announced her intention to send a proposal to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to include the conference in the program of the International Polar Year to be held in 2032-33. The opening ceremony was attended by Yulia Zaika, Goodwill Ambassador of The Northern Forum, Head of the International Department of the Federal Research Center “Kola Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, and Mikhail Malakhov, a famous Russian traveler, polar explorer, state and public figure, Hero of the Russian Federation. Gao Fei gave a speech at the opening ceremony, introducing the features and advantages of the Ocean University of China in the field of Arctic research, and expressed his gratitude to the Governor and organizers.

The meeting on the afternoon of May 24 was divided into two. The first stage was a scientific and practical conference, including two thematic groups “Living in the Arctic” (discussing the quality of life, culture, and tourism of residents of the Arctic and northern regions) and “Taking Care of the Arctic” (discussing ecology and nature management). Moderators were Yulia Zaika and Tatyana Dyatlova, Associate Professor of the Yugra State University. Among the experts present at the meeting were Vladimir Vasiliev, Executive Director of The Northern Forum (video message), Daryana Maksimova, Deputy Executive Director of The Northern Forum, Valery Lapshin, Vice-Rector of the Yugra State University, Vladimir Petrovsky, Doctor of Political Science, Academician of the Academy of Military Sciences, and Zhanna Vasilieva, Head of the Department of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Murmansk Arctic University. Gao Fei gave a speech on “The Potential and Path of Sino-Russian Cooperation in Green Energy in the New Era”.

The topic of the second stage of the meeting was the Expert Discussion Club “Interregional Cooperation on the Development of Northern and Arctic Territories”. The meeting brought together experts and scientists of all specialties, including Nikolai Kartsev, leading expert of the International Relations Department of the Office of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, researcher at the Institute of Current International Problems of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Anton Vasiliev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation, Goodwill Ambassador of The Northern Forum and others. The participants held interesting discussions on international cooperation, the ecological environment, infrastructure and other issues in the Arctic region.

On the morning of May 25, the roundtable “The Arctic and Youth: What should be the youth movement in the Arctic?” was held in a hybrid format. The meeting was led by Daryana Maximova, and Tatiana Nikolaeva, Project Manager of the Northern Forum Secretariat. Gao Fei and Wang Ran, students of the Ocean University of China, made a presentation at the meeting on “Russia-China: Youth Cooperation in the North and the Arctic”. The participants then met with Hero of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Malakhov, and listened to expert presentations.

In the afternoon of May 25, the third thematic group of the Building the Arctic Scientific and Practical Conference (discussing infrastructure construction, innovation, and economic development) held panel discussions and project presentations. Yulia Zaika, Zhanna Vasilieva, Moisey Zakharov, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Natural Sciences of the North-Eastern Federal University, Marina Ivanovna, PhD in Economics, expert of the Center for Scientific Support of the Strategy of Socio-Economic Development of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Yugra acted as experts. Wang Ran gave a speech on “Russian-Chinese cooperation on the Northern Sea Route within the framework of Russia's strategy ‘Turn to the East’: driving forces, difficulties in practice and countermeasures”.

After two days of exchanges and discussions, the conference began with a closing ceremony. At the closing ceremony, representatives of The Northern Forum expressed their sincere gratitude to the guests, experts, scientists and young scholars who participated in the conference, and also highly appreciated the participants who showed outstanding results during the conference. Daryana Maksimova presented certificates to Gao Fei and Wang Ran. At the same time, Roman Kuchin, Rector of Ugra State University, presented Gao Fei with a certificate inviting him to study at the Ugra State University. Gao Fei and Wang Ran made thankful speeches and shared their thoughts and experiences. They said that the experience of participating in this conference not only gave them a deeper understanding of Arctic research, but they also saw the great potential of Sino-Russian cooperation in this field and made many like-minded friends. They also expressed special thanks to the organizers and experts for their guidance and hoped to apply their achievements in future research practice.

Author - Gao Fei, a graduate student of the School of Law, the Ocean University of China