China’s Arctic ambitions should trouble the West

Four Chinese warships were spotted off the coast of Alaska last weekend. According to the US coast guard, the ships were in the Bering Sea around 124 miles from the Aleutian Islands. They were inside America’s exclusive economic zone, which extends to 200 miles, but within international waters. ‘We met presence with presence to ensure there were no disruptions to US interests,’ said a coastguard commander, as he monitored their progress. The Chinese were within their rights to be there, but the uneasy standoff was another example of Beijing boosting its presence around the Arctic.

This time they were alone, but the Chinese navy has been increasingly coordinating their activities in the region with Russia as the two countries develop a new front in their ‘no limits’ partnership – one that is rattling Western military planners. There are fears that Moscow and Beijing are intent on carving up the riches of the Arctic and controlling new transport routes emerging as a result of global warming.