Kathleen Hicks/AP Photo/Kevin Wolf
In its 2024 Arctic Strategy document, the US Department of Defense warned on Monday, July 22, of growing Sino-Russian cooperation in the Arctic.
"We are seeing growing cooperation between the PRC and Russia in the Arctic on a commercial basis, with the PRC being one of the main sponsors of Russian energy developments in this region,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks told reporters, reports Agence France-Presse.
< p>According to the department, military cooperation is also growing. "Russia and China are conducting joint exercises off the coast of Alaska,– Hicks said. – Consequences of climate change – rapid warming of temperatures and melting of ice cover – contribute to all this activity.”.
The document describes the Arctic as a "strategically important region" for the United States, including "the northern approaches to our country" and "significant US defense infrastructure".
In recent years, Russia has increased its military presence in the Arctic, reopening and modernizing several bases and airfields abandoned since the end of the Soviet era, and China has invested in polar research and exploration.
The rapid melting of polar ice has led to increased activity activities in a difficult-to-reach region: different countries are looking for new viable deposits of oil, gas and minerals, as well as sea routes in an area with a complex system of mutual territorial claims.
"By 2030, in the Arctic for the first time During the summer, ice may practically disappear, – states the document on the Arctic strategy. – Losing sea ice will increase the viability of Arctic maritime transit routes and improve access to underwater resources.”.
“Increasing human activity will increase the risk of accidents, miscalculations and environmental degradation,” and US troops ” must be prepared and equipped to reduce the risks associated with potential unforeseen situations in the Arctic.”
Prepared by: Sergey Daga