Until now, that is: warmer temperatures and 21st-century technology put a trade route the world has sought for centuries within reach -- but whose?
Canada claims the passage as its own territorial waters.

America, like most of the world, has never accepted that assertion.

The future of what one day may be the planet's most important shipping lane is being decided today.

China is already literally testing the waters. In 2017, the Chinese used a research vessel to confirm that cargo ships can now make it through the passage.

Talk of a "Polar Silk Road" has been rife since the Xue Long made its trek.

"It opened up a new sea lane for China," the state news agency Xinhua boasted. "From Shanghai to New York, the traditional route that passes through the Panama Canal is 10,500 nautical miles, while the route that passes through the Northwest Passage is 8,600 nautical miles, which saves 7 days of time."
https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_daniel_mccarthy/canada_should_warm_to_trump_s_arctic_plans