Pentagon warns about China's increased activity in the Arctic, growing ambition to expand its presen
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/pentagon-warns-chinas-increased-activity-arctic-growing-ambition/story?id=62803073
In 2018, China published its first Arctic strategy, coining the phrase "Polar Silk Road" -- a reference to the ancient network of trade routes that connected China to the West. The strategy also declared that China is a "Near-Arctic State."
"Theres no such definition in the [Arctic] Councils lexicon," the senior State Department official said. "There are Arctic states and there are non-Arctic states. The eight Arctic states conduct governance of the Arctic region, and we reject attempts by non-Arctic states to claim a role in this process."
According to the report, China's interest in the Arctic is multi-faceted but centers around a desire for access to natural resources and securing sea routes in that region. As the earth's temperature warms due to climate change, ice melt in the Arctic is opening up new shipping lanes, but the Pentagon warned that China's presence there could lead to the deployment of submarines "as a deterrent against nuclear attacks."
Gotta get that gas and oil.