Recent literature on Antarctica has suggested that China is becoming an increasingly crucial variable in defining governance structures on the continent. The thesis claims that China plays a role in restructuring relations and thus its Antarctic governance structures. It will therefore analyze the underlying causal role of China’s shifting identity, increasingly tense interactions with other treaty parties and changed interests in the Antarctic region. The analysis is based on theoretical assumptions of Conventional Constructivism which provides means to explain changes and the importance of state identities in international relations. Methodologically, the thesis employs a comparative research design to understand the cause-and-effect relationship between the independent and dependent variable. The thesis concludes that China is influencing governance structures by causing friction with other treaty parties and by exceeding the definitions of the Antarctic Treaty System based on its desire to become a ‘Polar Great Power’ and thus vast expansion.