China and four other Asian countries gained observer status to the Arctic Council, allowing them to participate in the main body determining the future of policy in the northern polar region.

The decision increases the global clout of the council and ensures it will be where the main policy decisions about the Arctic will take place. But it also means that voices of countries a long way from the polar ice will be heard, with the potential for controversy over actions to increase the exploitation of the region.

At the twice yearly ministerial meeting of the council on Wednesday in Kiruna, northern Sweden, the five Nordic states, US, Canada and Russia agreed to grant observer status to China, Japan, South Korea, India, Singapore and Italy. But a decision on the EU was deferred amid Canadian concern over its ban on the import of seal products.