USA warn of strengthened collaboration between Russia and China in the Arctic
The USA has warned of increased cooperation between China and Russia in the Arctic. Vice Defense Minister Kathleen Hicks told journalists that there is increasing collaboration between the two great powers in the strategically important region. Due to climate change, new opportunities are emerging in the region with regard to shipping lanes and resources.
Hicks referred to China as "a significant financier for Russian energy extraction in the Arctic." There is also growing military cooperation between the two countries, during which Russia and China "conduct joint exercises off the coast of Alaska," Hicks said at the release of the Pentagon's Arctic strategy for 2024. "All these challenges are intensified by the effects of climate change," she added.
In the Arctic strategy, the area is described as a "strategically important region" for the USA, encompassing "the northern approaches" of the country and "significant US defense infrastructure." Furthermore, the document states that the Arctic "could experience its first practically ice-free summer by 2030." The loss of ice would "increase the navigability of the Arctic Sea routes and access to resources."
Both Russia and China are increasingly viewing the Arctic as strategically important. Due to global warming, new economic opportunities could open up there, such as mining for oil, gas, and mineral deposits and fishing. It is also foreseeable that previously frozen waterways will in the future be open for cargo and military ships.
Moscow has strengthened its military presence in the Arctic in recent years. For example, several bases and formerly abandoned airfields have been reactivated. China, in turn, has invested heavily in the exploration of polar regions. In response to the Arctic strategy, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the USA was "distorting" China's Arctic policy. This policy is "in line with international law."
The United States is concerned about the growing energy extraction collaboration between Russia and China in the Arctic, as mentioned by Vice Defense Minister Kathleen Hicks. This collaboration has led to China becoming a significant financier for Russian energy extraction activities in the region. Additionally, Russia and China have increased their military cooperation in the Arctic, conducting joint exercises off the coast of Alaska.
