‘Entitled to exactly nothing’: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warns China and Russia against aggression in Arctic
- Pompeo says China’s attempts to inject itself into the region’s affairs by pushing infrastructure projects and commercial investments must be checked
- Chinese Arctic affairs representative Gao Feng dismisses warning, says countries should be free do deal with China as they wish
The Trump administration warned China and Russia on Monday that the US will not stand for aggressive moves in the Arctic region, which is rapidly opening up to development and commerce as temperatures warm and sea ice melts.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Finland that the US will compete for influence in the Arctic and counter attempts to make it the strategic preserve of any one or two nations.
He said the rule of law must prevail for the Arctic to remain peaceful, and he criticised China and Russia for what he said were coercive practices that would destabilise the “high North” if allowed.
Critics were likely to seize on the speech for being short on scientific specifics, not using the phrase “climate change”, offering no ideas on mitigating its effects and focusing almost entirely on how to responsibly tap the Arctic in an era of fierce global rivalries.
“The region has become an arena of global power and competition and the eight Arctic states must adapt to this new future,” Pompeo said, one day before he participates in a meeting of foreign ministers from the Arctic Council.
