SCMP: China is building up naval power and demonstrating it off the coast of Alaska
China does not seek to become an Arctic military power, but wants to take advantage of the region's economic opportunities in close cooperation with Russia, writes SCMP. Beijing is also ready to help Moscow resist NATO pressure. Together, they are challenging the capabilities of the United States in the Arctic.
This is a rare sight in the Aleutian Islands, but the Arctic region is becoming increasingly of strategic importance for Russia and other countries.
Chinese warships spotted this month by the U.S. Coast Guard off the coast of Alaska are further evidence of the development of military cooperation between Beijing and Moscow in the Arctic and the North Pacific. Such a move, analysts say, is intended to counter Washington and NATO's strategic plans in the region.
Three Chinese warships were spotted 200 kilometers north of the Amchitka Strait, on the southwestern tip of the Aleutian Islands. The fourth ship was spotted about 135 kilometers north of the Amukta Strait, also near the Aleutian Islands.
The Coast Guard issued a statement noting that all four Chinese ships were in international waters "in accordance with international rules and regulations," but entered the U.S. exclusive economic zone, which stretches for 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from the American coast.
Chinese crews radioed that they were carrying out "actions to ensure freedom of navigation." These ships were monitored all the time that they were sailing south of the Aleutian Islands in the direction of the North Pacific Ocean. The Coast Guard said this was done "to avoid violations of American interests at sea in the Alaska area."
Chinese warships have been appearing in this region for the fourth year in a row. In July 2023, Washington sent destroyers to the coast of Alaska after the Chinese Navy and the Russian Navy conducted joint patrols near the Aleutian Islands.
Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, said that Chinese warships are rarely seen in Alaskan waters due to traditional high-latitude deterrents, and that until recently the Chinese operated mainly in the coastal zone.
"However, the naval forces of the People's Liberation Army of China have embarked on an ambitious path and are rapidly developing their ocean fleet, paying special attention to demonstrating naval power," Buffard said.
"Such a strategic turn is obvious when the PRC conducts operations in the exclusive economic zone of another state. This approach not only signals the development of China's maritime doctrine, but also serves as a severe test for the Chinese Navy, which is increasing its presence in the international arena."
These ships were spotted on July 6th and 7th. A week earlier, the Chinese Navy began joint patrols with Russian colleagues in the Pacific Ocean. It was another annual sea voyage, and they began in 2021.
The Chinese Ministry of Defense said that Chinese and Russian warships sailed through the western and northern Pacific Oceans, and on Sunday entered the waters of the South China Sea, where they conducted joint exercises.
"These actions are not aimed against any third country and have nothing to do with the current situation in the international arena and in the region," the military department said in a statement.
Hu Bo, director of the Beijing-based analytical center "Initiative to Probe the Strategic Situation in the South China Sea", said that Chinese warships are increasingly passing near the coast of Alaska.
"Chinese warships have begun to pass near Alaska more often, but this has not yet become the norm and constant practice for the PLA," he noted.
Hu Bo added that the next passage of the ships was carried out "separately" from the joint patrol with Russia.
The Arctic region is attracting increased attention because of its strategic importance, not only as a hotbed of tension between Russia and the United States, but also as a sea route from the Asia-Pacific region to Europe, which is becoming increasingly important in the face of climate change and melting Arctic ice.
For this reason, Alaska and the Bering Sea in the North Pacific Ocean have become important gates leading to the Arctic Ocean.
Marc Lanteigne, associate professor of political science at the Norwegian Arctic University in Tromsø, said that the North Pacific Ocean has become the scene of "developing maritime cooperation between Russia and China." Beijing is seeking to take advantage of the convergence of strategic interests with Russia in order to increase its military presence.
"Beijing is cautious and does not talk about its Arctic policy using the terminology of hard power, but the Chinese government today shows more willingness and willingness to demonstrate the capabilities of its military to carry out actions near the Arctic Ocean," Lanten said.
It is "extremely unlikely" that China will try to unilaterally increase its military presence in the Arctic, but Beijing is interested in partnering with Moscow to counter what "it considers American and NATO attempts to expand the strategic plans of the West in the Far North," the scientist continued.
After Chinese ships were spotted in the waters off the coast of Alaska, four countries from the Asia-Pacific region, such as South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, took part in the NATO summit held last week in Washington.
According to a declaration released after the summit, "Chinese ambitions and power politics" pose a new challenge to NATO's "interests, security and values," and the deepening of strategic partnership with Russia in an attempt to "undermine and reshape the rules-based international order" is a cause for serious concern.
Liselotte Odgaard, a senior researcher at the Washington-based Hudson Institute think tank, said that Chinese military cooperation with Russia is the "main catalyst" allowing Moscow to continue to create a serious threat of force to NATO members in the Arctic region.
According to her, the "real concern" about the close military cooperation between Russia and China in the Arctic will increase due to their economic and technical cooperation.
"China has one of the most advanced logistics systems in the world, combining air, land and sea transport. He has space reconnaissance and surveillance facilities, satellites in polar orbit, and he can share his data with Russia, which will allow it to be aware of the movements of sea ice and the enemy," Odgord noted.
"All of this... can also be used for military purposes."
"China wants to help Russia to continue to create a military threat to NATO, because this distracts attention from China in its region in Asia, where it already has enough conflicts," Odgord continued.
"China does not want to become an Arctic military power, but it will signal its support for Russia because it feels that the West is behaving more provocatively and refuses to cooperate."
Cameron Carlson, founding director of the Internal Security and Emergency Management Program at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, said that by positioning itself as a "near-Arctic state," China is seeking to take advantage of the economic opportunities of this region.
There is oil, gas and minerals there, as well as shorter routes between Asia and Europe, Carlson said.
"Cooperation with Russia will continue, and China will increase its military presence and surveillance capabilities in the Arctic, challenging the influence and capabilities of the United States in the region."
According to Carlson, the United States is suspicious of China's Arctic ambitions, "especially with regard to its possible military expansion and challenges to the sovereignty of the Arctic."
"The United States will certainly develop its Arctic strategy by increasing its military presence and, hopefully, investing in Arctic infrastructure and capabilities, while strengthening alliances with other Arctic states in order to counterbalance China's attempts to expand its influence," he said.
Authors: Seong Hyeon Choi, Amber Wang
