Trade, tech … and now the Arctic? The next frontier in the China-US struggle for global control

Beijing has defined itself as a ‘near-Arctic state’ and is taking a growing interest in shipping and economic development of other countries in the area

But Washington is wary of its rival’s ambitions and the potential for Chinese science and commerce to morph into a security threat

7-MIN READ7-MIN

Published: 11:00pm, 14 Jan 2020Updated: 4:13pm, 17 Feb 2020

China and the United States have been diplomatically banging heads over trade disputes for the best part of the last 18 months, while elsewhere their rivalry is playing out as a global grappling match for power and influence from the South China Sea to Africa. The Arctic may be next on the list.

This month is the second anniversary of China’s announcement of a policy to include the polar region in its Belt and Road Initiative, an ambitious effort to build land and maritime trading routes across the globe.

Beijing’s release of the Arctic white paper in 2018, in which it referred to itself as a “near-Arctic state”, caused something of a sceptical stir in Washington, not for what it contained, but what it lacked: military ambition.

China will “play a major role in expanding the network of shipping routes in the Arctic and facilitating the economic and social progress of the coastal states along the routes”, the paper read.

Six months later, the trade war began, and Washington launched an economic and technology offensive against China, raising alarm bells and focusing attention on debt traps concealed in belt and road loans, and cybersecurity risks in deals with Chinese companies like Huawei Technologies.

In the face of this onslaught, Arctic concerns faded into the background until last May when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a scathing speech attacking China at the Arctic Council, a group led by eight nations – including the US – with territory in the Arctic Circle.