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Source: catchnews
China plans to dominate global commons of Antarctica
China Is Building Nuclear Icebreakers To Seek Out A "Polar Silk Road"
China plans to dominate global commons of Antarctica
Representative Image (ANI)
March 22, 2021
With an aim to dominate the Arctic and Antarctica regions, China has been pouring investments and aggressively constructing a fleet of polar icebreakers as part of its geopolitical ambitions, according to a report published in The National Interest.
Alexander B Gray, a Senior Fellow in National Security Affairs at the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC), in an article for the Washington-based magazine said that although the western countries have taken note of China's designs over the Arctic, however, Beijing's machinations in Antarctica remain little-known.
Antarctica is considered a global commons to be preserved "for peaceful purposes only" under the terms of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty and "any measures of a military nature" are prohibited.
Gray wrote that both the United States and China are signatories to the treaty and its most important addendum, the 1991 Madrid Protocol, which permanently prohibits extractive mining, protects the unique flora and fauna of the continent.
"The enforcement mechanism of the Antarctic Treaty and its protocols is an inspection system, whereby signatories undertake periodic visits to the stations maintained by around thirty countries. Not only are these visits notoriously infrequent, however, they are also incomplete, having failed to visit some of China's five research stations on Antarctica to date," said Gary while adding that Beijing has used some of its Antarctic bases for satellite receiving stations and high-powered telescopes, both of which have military applications.
Despite the clear warning signs, none of China's bases has been inspected since 2015.
Gray further said China's construction of a permanent Antarctic airfield in 2018, its growing fleet of icebreakers, and an influx of People's Liberation Army personnel at Beijing's research stations are just a sampling of Beijing's military objectives.
Besides the military objectives, a significant number of Chinese experts believe that the Madrid Protocol expires in 2048, along with the accompanying ban on mining in the Antarctic. This development has prompted Chinese officials to openly speculate about the Southern Continent as a potential source for rare earth elements.
According to Gray, the Biden administration has an opportunity to affirm the rule-based international order and push back against China's ambitions in the Antarctic by holding Beijing accountable for its unauthorised military activity and potentially discovering additional violations.
The Biden administration can also send a strong signal about the international community's commitment to the preservation of the Antarctic's ecology by making clear its intention to keep the key provisions of the Madrid Protocol in place after 2048.
Lastly, Gray argued that Washington and its allies need to act now to ensure such an outcome.
(ANI)
Alexander B Gray, a Senior Fellow in National Security Affairs at the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC), in an article for the Washington-based magazine said that although the western countries have taken note of China's designs over the Arctic, however, Beijing's machinations in Antarctica remain little-known.
Antarctica is considered a global commons to be preserved "for peaceful purposes only" under the terms of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty and "any measures of a military nature" are prohibited.
Gray wrote that both the United States and China are signatories to the treaty and its most important addendum, the 1991 Madrid Protocol, which permanently prohibits extractive mining, protects the unique flora and fauna of the continent.
"The enforcement mechanism of the Antarctic Treaty and its protocols is an inspection system, whereby signatories undertake periodic visits to the stations maintained by around thirty countries. Not only are these visits notoriously infrequent, however, they are also incomplete, having failed to visit some of China's five research stations on Antarctica to date," said Gary while adding that Beijing has used some of its Antarctic bases for satellite receiving stations and high-powered telescopes, both of which have military applications.
Despite the clear warning signs, none of China's bases has been inspected since 2015.
Gray further said China's construction of a permanent Antarctic airfield in 2018, its growing fleet of icebreakers, and an influx of People's Liberation Army personnel at Beijing's research stations are just a sampling of Beijing's military objectives.
Besides the military objectives, a significant number of Chinese experts believe that the Madrid Protocol expires in 2048, along with the accompanying ban on mining in the Antarctic. This development has prompted Chinese officials to openly speculate about the Southern Continent as a potential source for rare earth elements.
According to Gray, the Biden administration has an opportunity to affirm the rule-based international order and push back against China's ambitions in the Antarctic by holding Beijing accountable for its unauthorised military activity and potentially discovering additional violations.
The Biden administration can also send a strong signal about the international community's commitment to the preservation of the Antarctic's ecology by making clear its intention to keep the key provisions of the Madrid Protocol in place after 2048.
Lastly, Gray argued that Washington and its allies need to act now to ensure such an outcome.
(ANI)
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Source: National Interest
China Is Building Nuclear Icebreakers To Seek Out A "Polar Silk Road"
They will be quite comparable to Russia’s giant Arktika-class.
by Lyle J. Goldstein | March 15, 2021
Key point: Beijing's interest in the Arctic is quite narrowly economic and commercial in nature.
A rather odd incident in the annals of U.S.-China relations occurred in September 2015. At the very same time that President Barack Obama decided to drop in for an unusual visit to the state of Alaska, a Chinese naval squadron of five ships suddenly appeared in the Bering Sea. They had left from a joint exercise with the Russian Pacific Fleet and did not tarry for too long off American shores. Did this movement constitute a clever warning, designed specifically to humiliate the American President on his own turf? Or was it pure coincidence—just a minor excursion into unknown waters for a Chinese fleet that was undoubtedly just beginning to stretch its sails on the global stage? Is it possible that China has military designs on the Arctic, of which this was the initial step?
Available evidence and simple deductive logic suggest that skepticism is warranted concerning the final question above. And yet it must be admitted now that Beijing's interest in the Arctic is something more than a passing fancy. Two announcements from Beijing during the course of 2018 implied that the issue was assuming new significance within China's overall foreign policy. First, there was the "White Paper" on China's Arctic policy that elevated the approach to the "Polar Silk Road" strategy. Next, came the "bombshell" that China intends to build a nuclear icebreaker.
Some new details emerged in mid-March regarding the specifications of Beijing’s icebreaker. It will be 152 meters in length, 30 meters wide, and will displace 30,000 tons. Thus, it will be quite comparable to Russia's giant Arktika-class. The vessel, that will cost China about 1 billion RMB, is to be powered by two 25MW high pressure reactors. According to an analysis in the Barents Observer, "Nuclear power has the advantage of long range and massive power." Still, most of the writing about this prospective ship has focused on the implications that such an "experiment” could have for China's nascent nuclear aircraft carrier project. But what of China's Arctic ambitions?
A somewhat tantalizing article from the final 2018 edition of Modern Ships [现代舰船] ran under the headline "Why does China need an icebreaker [中国为什么需要破冰船]?" Not a few foreigners are asking the same exact question. Accompanying this headline is a bold close-up photo of China's newest icebreaker Snow Dragon 2 [雪龙2号]. This new diesel-powered icebreaker was built at the famous Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai and launched on September 10, 2018. This ship is viewed as a major improvement on Snow Dragon 1, which had been built in Ukraine. According to this account, Snow Dragon 1 hardly provided the crew with a smooth ride, so that "in sea areas prone to stormy waves . . . the rocking of the ship proved extremely violent [在风浪比较大的海域 . . . 船体摇荡复合运动十分剧烈]." In addition, the new ship is said to be an improvement since its predecessor had living and working conditions that were "not ideal," and, moreover, its "icebreaking capabilities were also quite limited." "All these defects have received comprehensive remedy on-board 'Snow Dragon 2' [这些问题在'雪龙2号'上都得到了全面的改善]." Making the observation that Beijing's interest in icebreakers is not all that new new, the article also briefly mentions China's first indigenously-built icebreaker, called Skyline [天行] that was actually built in Tianjin during the 1930s.
Please go to National Interest to read more.
by Lyle J. Goldstein | March 15, 2021
A rather odd incident in the annals of U.S.-China relations occurred in September 2015. At the very same time that President Barack Obama decided to drop in for an unusual visit to the state of Alaska, a Chinese naval squadron of five ships suddenly appeared in the Bering Sea. They had left from a joint exercise with the Russian Pacific Fleet and did not tarry for too long off American shores. Did this movement constitute a clever warning, designed specifically to humiliate the American President on his own turf? Or was it pure coincidence—just a minor excursion into unknown waters for a Chinese fleet that was undoubtedly just beginning to stretch its sails on the global stage? Is it possible that China has military designs on the Arctic, of which this was the initial step?
Available evidence and simple deductive logic suggest that skepticism is warranted concerning the final question above. And yet it must be admitted now that Beijing's interest in the Arctic is something more than a passing fancy. Two announcements from Beijing during the course of 2018 implied that the issue was assuming new significance within China's overall foreign policy. First, there was the "White Paper" on China's Arctic policy that elevated the approach to the "Polar Silk Road" strategy. Next, came the "bombshell" that China intends to build a nuclear icebreaker.
Some new details emerged in mid-March regarding the specifications of Beijing’s icebreaker. It will be 152 meters in length, 30 meters wide, and will displace 30,000 tons. Thus, it will be quite comparable to Russia's giant Arktika-class. The vessel, that will cost China about 1 billion RMB, is to be powered by two 25MW high pressure reactors. According to an analysis in the Barents Observer, "Nuclear power has the advantage of long range and massive power." Still, most of the writing about this prospective ship has focused on the implications that such an "experiment” could have for China's nascent nuclear aircraft carrier project. But what of China's Arctic ambitions?
A somewhat tantalizing article from the final 2018 edition of Modern Ships [现代舰船] ran under the headline "Why does China need an icebreaker [中国为什么需要破冰船]?" Not a few foreigners are asking the same exact question. Accompanying this headline is a bold close-up photo of China's newest icebreaker Snow Dragon 2 [雪龙2号]. This new diesel-powered icebreaker was built at the famous Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai and launched on September 10, 2018. This ship is viewed as a major improvement on Snow Dragon 1, which had been built in Ukraine. According to this account, Snow Dragon 1 hardly provided the crew with a smooth ride, so that "in sea areas prone to stormy waves . . . the rocking of the ship proved extremely violent [在风浪比较大的海域 . . . 船体摇荡复合运动十分剧烈]." In addition, the new ship is said to be an improvement since its predecessor had living and working conditions that were "not ideal," and, moreover, its "icebreaking capabilities were also quite limited." "All these defects have received comprehensive remedy on-board 'Snow Dragon 2' [这些问题在'雪龙2号'上都得到了全面的改善]." Making the observation that Beijing's interest in icebreakers is not all that new new, the article also briefly mentions China's first indigenously-built icebreaker, called Skyline [天行] that was actually built in Tianjin during the 1930s.
Please go to National Interest to read more.
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As this news clip from India is viewed keep in mind India is aligned with the US:
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