Concern over Russia and China cooperation in the Arctic
The NATO Secretary-General, who recently visited the Cold Lake military base in Alberta, expressed concern over Russia and China cooperation in the Arctic.
The Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has said that Russia-China cooperation in the Arctic is a matter of concern.
In 2014, Russia established a new Arctic Command. It has opened hundreds of new and former Soviet-era Arctic military bases. These include some airfields and deep water ports.
In 2018, China declared itself a ‘near-Arctic country’. The purpose of this announcement of China is to exploit Arctic oil, gas, minerals etc. For this it has started showing interest in shipping, research and exploration projects in the region.
China has also shown interest in building the Polar Silk Road. It is actually an Arctic shipping route through the Arctic Circle connecting North America, East Asia and Western Europe.
Arctic Council:
- It is the northernmost region of the earth. This includes the regions within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic Circle is a line of latitude at 5° north of the equator.
- It includes the territories of the United States of America, Russia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. All these countries are included in the Arctic Council. It was established in the year 1996 by the above mentioned eight Arctic countries through the Ottawa Declaration.
- India joins the Arctic Council as a non-Arctic observer country
Source – The Hindu
