New Delhi, Aug. 9 -- For over 150 years, the Suez Canal has served as one of the world's most critical maritime arteries, connecting Asia with Europe through the Mediterranean. Nearly 12-15 percent of global trade and about one-third of container traffic traditionally passed through this corridor. However, geopolitical disruptions-from the blockage of the Suez Canal in 2021 to attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea-have exposed the vulnerabilities of depending heavily on a single maritime chokepoint.

Against this backdrop, China has launched what could become one of the most consequential developments in global shipping in decades: the first scheduled weekly container service between China and Europe through the Arctic's Northern ...