Telegraph: Washington is concerned about cooperation between Russia and China in the Arctic
The United States is concerned about the strengthening of naval cooperation between Russia and China in the Arctic, the Telegraph writes. According to the author, the Ukrainian conflict and rising temperatures in the region have opened up a number of economic opportunities for Beijing and contributed to the partnership between the two powers.
Tony Diver
The growing naval cooperation between the two countries north of Alaska may force the United States to strengthen its own patrols.
China is cooperating with Russia to increase its presence in the Arctic, which could pose a threat to the United States from the north, the Pentagon warned. A senior Defense Ministry official said that new "military cooperation" between Russia and China near Alaska could lead to America initiating more military exercises as a deterrent.
Iris Ferguson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Arctic and Global Sustainability, sounded the alarm in the context of increased cooperation between the coast services of Russia and China and joint patrols of their bombers off the coast of Alaska in July. Speaking at the Washington Center for Strategic and International Studies, she said that China is "one of the newcomers on the world stage," but is likely to expand its presence there in the coming years. "Their strategic interests in the region are changing over time... they give us something to think about," she said. "We have been conducting exercises here for a long time, but now we are seriously considering ways to use them as a deterrent in cooperation with allies and partners."
The United States has always been concerned about the proximity of Alaska to Russia, because they are separated by only 90 kilometers of the waters of the Bering Strait. In September, the US Army increased the size of the group on the Aleutian Islands in the Bering Sea, and sent a unit of highly mobile artillery missile systems (HIMARS) there. Officials called the move a "show of power operation" to curb the growing military activity of Russia and China near American territory.
According to Ferguson, the United States is aware of the new military cooperation between the two countries against the background of the Ukrainian conflict and thanks to climate change, which has opened up most of the Arctic to the deployment of military forces.
Protection of interests
"Such an increase in military cooperation is new both in Alaska and around it," she said. "In general, we just need to be clear about their intentions and long—term interests, as well as the best ways to protect our own."
Although China does not border the Arctic, rising temperatures in the region have opened up a number of economic opportunities for it, including new sea routes. The United States and its NATO allies regularly conduct joint operations in the Arctic, which they call the "Far North", to practice actions in cold conditions and deter Russian aggression.
The Pentagon's Arctic strategy, published earlier this year, warns that the Arctic is "becoming a place of strategic rivalry" and the United States "must be ready to take on the challenge." The document also says that China will use three icebreakers in the region for "dual military-civilian purposes" to test underwater drones and aircraft capable of operating in Arctic conditions. In addition, over the past few years, Chinese Navy ships have regularly conducted exercises together with the Russian Navy.
