Will there be a silkroad online 212/22/2023 But our Arctic allies are also not immune to Chinese interest in the region and many seem to welcome China’s increased role as an investor and cooperative scientific partner in the Arctic. Many point to the United States’ strong alliances in the Arctic and say that our strength is in our cooperation with Arctic like-minded partners, four of which are NATO members. They may very well become (or perhaps have become) the Arctic partner of choice in this increasingly important region. With its annual deployment of icebreakers and other research vessels to the Arctic each year and its increased scientific and economic investments in the region, China is in a position to have more presence in the Arctic than the United States will for some time. While the United States and its allies rightly criticize Beijing’s outlandish claims to being a “ near-Arctic power,” and fought its position as an observer within the Arctic Council for many years, this is becoming less of a defensible criticism of China. In the meantime, the United States lacks a viable bridging strategy to ensure that it is positioned to operate in an Arctic that is seeing increased human activity - and with it, potential for conflict and natural disaster. The United States has smartly committed to the construction of a new class of icebreakers, the Polar Security Cutter (PSC), but delays in construction and design issues will likely set back the first vessel becoming operational for many more years. The people of Alaska have long recognized what the Chinese have already figured out - that these economic and ecological activities are also critical to “security.” Submarines and aircraft will not clear a path for critical shipping, respond to oil spills, or conduct maritime safety and security boardings in the U.S. The need for a visible surface icebreaking presence, however, is unique and essential to the geopolitics of this new era in strategic competition and even more essential to expanding economic growth in the Arctic. Navy and Air Force deserve deep appreciation for the role of submarines and strategic aircraft in maintaining U.S. This is not to say that other types of presence in the Arctic are not important. With these investments, the Chinese have signaled a commitment to Arctic infrastructure and the importance of safe navigation for their economic lifeline - global shipping - in a way that the United States has failed to do. This would supplement their two existing icebreakers and be in addition to reports of their development of a nuclear-powered icebreaker. ![]() Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of Transport has announced that it will develop a new heavy icebreaker and a new heavy-lift semi-submersible vessel capable of salvaging and rescuing vessels in the Arctic. Federal Executive Fellow - The Brookings Institution
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