China and Russia sign deal on maritime law enforcement as military build-up intensifies in Arctic

Details of agreement are sparse, but it is signed after two-day meeting held near Russia’s border with Nato member Finland
It comes as China expands presence in region and Moscow encourages non-Arctic nations to invest in shipping and energy projects

China-Russia relations

Liu Zhen

Published: 9:00am, 27 Apr 2023

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China and Russia have signed an agreement to work together in maritime law enforcement following a meeting that took place in a Russian city inside the Arctic Circle, not far from the border with new Nato member Finland.

China’s coastguard and Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Tuesday, according to state media. The details of the agreement have not been disclosed.

State broadcaster CCTV said the agreement was the outcome of a two-day meeting between the Chinese coastguard and the FSB that concluded on Tuesday.

Chinese coastguard chief Yu Zhong and Vladimir Grigorovich Kulishov, first deputy FSB director and head of its border service, represented the two sides at the signing ceremony.

According to CCTV, the two sides said they would “actively promote maritime law enforcement cooperation, join hands to build a maritime community of destiny, and make every effort to serve the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation between China and Russia in the new era”.

The two sides said they would implement the consensus reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at their meetings. The two leaders described the ties between the countries as a “no-limits” partnership in a joint statement signed in 2022.

The Chinese delegation to the meeting also observed a Russian Arctic maritime exercise, CCTV said.

The meeting took place in the city of Murmansk in northwestern Russia, located within the Arctic Circle and close to the Finnish border.

The Arctic has seen an intense military build-up, with Finland becoming a member of Nato earlier this month and Sweden also in the running to join the transatlantic security alliance.

Russia conducted an Arctic rescue exercise earlier this month organised by its emergency ministry, with participants from nine unnamed African, Latin American and Eurasian countries and observers from at least 13 countries. Russian naval forces also held large-scale military drills.

To counter Nato, Russia has encouraged non-Arctic nations – including India, Iran and Saudi Arabia – to expand their commercial presence in the region through investment in shipping routes, natural gas projects, power plants and other projects.

Russia’s Arctic agenda should be of more concern than China’s actions

China, which has observer status in the Arctic Council, has also been increasing its presence in the region.

China has the world’s second-biggest coastguard. It focuses on maritime law enforcement, including fishery patrols, ship inspection and policing, search and rescue, and anti-smuggling and anti-piracy operations.

The Chinese and Russian militaries have conducted multiple joint exercises in recent years, including joint naval operations in the Pacific and Sea of Japan.