China angles for Arctic power as ice melts

[phantom power]

China doesn't own any Arctic territory - in fact, its northernmost point is more than 1,400km south of the Arctic Circle. But it's nevertheless taking a strong interest in the region, building a physical presence there and using diplomacy and trade ties to gain a foothold.

China’s actions in the region have paid off as it, along with five other non-Arctic states, have been granted permanent observer status to the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum of eight countries with Arctic territory.

Gaining observer status does not allow China any voting rights on the Arctic Council. But it does give it sway in an increasingly important region. Not only does the shrinking ice have climate implications; warming temperatures at the poles have raised the possibility of access to as much as 90 billion barrels of oil and 1,670 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

...

China has also been making inroads in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, where Chinese companies are interested in mining opportunities.

While the Arctic’s vast untapped resources are undoubtedly of interest to China as it looks to continue fuelling its economic growth, accessing the riches will be a long-term process. Of more immediate interest to China are the shorter shipping routes to be navigated through the Arctic. Last September, a Chinese icebreaker called the Xuelong ("Snow Dragon&quot travelled from the Pacific to Atlantic Oceans by crossing the Arctic Ocean, the first Chinese vessel to have done so.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/05/20135157618867736.html

[ConcernedCanuk]

1. Interested me re the passing of an icebreaker thru the Arctic.

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1st time in history

Look at the boat, I see cranes, look like anti-aircraft guns ( I know they are not, - yet) or missile launchers.





China is NOT gonna sit still too much longer.

USA has spread it's military resources all across the globe.

When China jumps into the fray - and they will (hopefully not in my lifetime)

China will have available a "Coalition of the World" that will make the mis-named "Coalition of the Willing" look like the Joke that it was.

"The military of the United States is deployed in more than 150 countries around the world,"


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_deployments

Number of foreign military deployments in the USA

ZERO

You don't think the World notices this wee imbalance?

You think they like it?

You think this imbalance is going to last forever?

right . . . .

CC