The article examines the conflict in assessments of the Chinese expert community regarding China's Arctic policy. The paper analyses the position of scientists from five studied regions of China, defines the regional specificity of proposed concepts, and identifies key issues of the discussion. The author comes to the conclusion that in scientific discourse there are positions which support the official rhetoric of the leadership, and on the other hand, radically opposing views which defend the need for decisive action of PRC in the Arctic and deem it possible to use the “hard power”. The special attention is paid to the popular theses in the Chinese discourse “China as a near-Arctic country” and “The Arctic as a common heritage of mankind”, as well as the controversy regarding China's permanent observer status in the Arctic Council. The study confirms the increased focus of Chinese experts on Arctic policy studies, and also demonstrates an active search for the most profitable and efficient concept for promoting the country's interests in the High North. The analysis is able to supplement the understanding of the Arctic behaviors of the PRC, which includes not only the position, proclaiming in the course of the bilateral cooperation with the coastal States and in the Arctic Council, but besides it the other ideas which are also gradually embodied in the foreign policy of China. The conclusion of the article allows understanding the priorities of China's Arctic behaviors.