NATO is concerned about Chinese in the Russian Northern Sea Route and the possibility that Chinese military presence in the Arctic is increasing.
“We know there are military scientists on board these ships,” Admiral Rob Bauer, who chairs NATO’s Military Committee, said in an interview in Iceland on Saturday. “They haven’t said they won’t go there militarily.”
Close ties between Russia and China, including energy and transport co-operation that has led to a surge in Russian oil shipments to China via Arctic waters, raises questions about what we can expect from Russia-China relations going forward. “China’s intentions for the region remain opaque,” Admiral Rob Bauer told the audience at the Arctic Circle Assembly conference in Reykjavik.
Gao Feng, China’s special representative for Arctic affairs, noted the following, without taking Bauer’s words into account: “Tension in the Arctic will not only make it difficult to carry out our cooperation, but also will affect global stability,” Gao said. “China and other Asian countries can play important roles in the protection, research, development and governance of the Arctic.”
A Chinese cargo ship made a three-month circular voyage from the Baltic Sea to China, and after the start of the Ukrainian crisis to increase oil supplies to China. Russia is investing heavily in building Arctic airbases and other infrastructure. Although budget constraints related to the conflict in Ukraine have delayed the delivery of new icebreakers, its substantial air and naval forces in the Arctic remain powerful.
