China and Russia are looking to work more closely together in the Arctic, including in science, a senior Chinese official for the polar regions said during a visit to a territory that is part of Norway, in a potential challenge to the NATO member.
The Arctic has increasingly become a hub of strategic competition and a recent investigation by Newsweek showed that China is making gains in Arctic science, sometimes via organizations that do not show their true military affiliation.
The comments by Tiejun Ling, a deputy director of the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration, were made as a record three Chinese icebreakers traversed the freezing seas near the North Pole in a further sign of China's deepening interest.
"We have joint interests and ways to develop cooperation further. We should design a system where Russian and Chinese researchers can visit scientific stations of our countries," High North News quoted Ling as saying on a visit last week to Norway's Arctic Svalbard archipelago. Ling is a senior Communist Party member at the top body that manages China's polar affairs.
The visit on August 21 highlights growing tensions surrounding the activities of both China and Russia in the High North, where NATO states are watching warily for signs of deepening cooperation following Russia's full invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which Beijing has not condemned. Relations between Russia and NATO have deteriorated sharply since the invasion.
On Svalbard, Ling discussed with Russian science officials that China may join a research station that Russia operates there in the traditional Russian coal-mining settlement of Barentsburg, according to the online newspaper run by Nord University's High North Center in Norway, which quoted the Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI). China already has a research facility on Svalbard - the Yellow River Station at the Norwegian-run research settlement of Ny-Ålesund.
"China has always participated in Arctic affairs in accordance with international law, and is committed to maintaining close cooperation with all parties including Norway," the Chinese embassy in Oslo told Newsweek by email.
"The primary aim of China's Arctic scientific research activities is to promote environmental and ecological protection and better address global challenges such as climate change. It is very normal for scientists from different countries to carry out international polar research cooperation, and there is no need to over-interpret it," an embassy spokesperson said.
Marc Lanteigne, a professor of political science at UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, in Tromsø in Norway's Arctic described Chinese-Russian cooperation as "definitely a challenge".
"China is very interested in any possible new openings for research in the Arctic. Russia is keen on developing its own research network and bringing China on board to increase its legitimacy," Lanteigne said.
Growing attention on security in the region including from Norway meant that China's research position in Svalbard was increasingly drawing scrutiny and Beijing was concerned it might lose access: "China is getting concerned about its future ability to research on Svalbard, given Norway's interest in deepening its oversight as well as greater trend toward NATO interest in the Arctic," he said.
Turkish scientists also visited Svalbard, in July, and discussed with Russia's Trust Arktikugol company there plans to open a new scientific research base for BRICS members in another Russian settlement, the nearly abandoned town of Pyramiden.
That too could be viewed as a potential challenge to sovereign Norway, which says it has overall control of scientific research in the archipelago where "warlike purposes" are forbidden by treaty. The 1920 treaty offers economic and other access to signatories including Russia and China.
In an email, Darya Slyunyaeva, an assistant to the general director of Trust Arktikugol, referred to two articles in the treaty that addressed economy, access and science, saying,"it is essential to mention articles 3 and 5 of Spitsbergen Treaty when studying the issue of scientific research. As for specific plans of Trust, being a commercial enterprise, we are not eager to comment or to share more information about our plans as it is published in corporate media."
China too has long chafed at what it sees as research restrictions placed by Norway on activities in the archipelago, and is seeking greater access to the Arctic, part of its growing strategic and economic interests.
"The visit by the Turkish delegation really underscores that Russia wants to set up an alternative research network on Svalbard," Lanteigne said.
In July, Newsweek revealed extensive, potential dual-use—military as well as civilian—research by Chinese scientists in Svalbard, with a key Chinese institute operating there saying it serves the military and collaborating with multiple units of the People's Liberation Army.
Chinese polar officials were hosted in Barentsburg by Aleksandr Makarov, the director of AARI, and agreed to start preparations for joint research projects in the region, with follow-up meetings in the fall, High North News said.
"Chinese researchers were invited to participate in the work of the Russian Arctic scientific expedition on Spitsbergen," the media reported, referring to the main island in Svalbard where Barentsburg is located. They were to conduct studies aboard Russia's drifting ice station, North Pole. Also reportedly present at the meeting were officials from the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC).
And in a reciprocal move, the Chinese polar officials at the meeting invited the Russians to participate in an expedition on PRIC's icebreaker research vessel, the Xue Long 2.
Newsweek can reveal that the icebreaker visited Murmansk in the far northwestern part of Russia this week, according to open-source ship-tracking data of its automatic identification system.
China has called itself a "near-Arctic state" and says it is an important stakeholder in Arctic affairs—even though the East Asian country's territory is 900 miles away from the Arctic Circle.
In an updated Arctic strategy last month, the U.S. Department of Defense called for increased military presence, intelligence capabilities and cooperation between Washington and its Western allies in the region.
The visit to Barentsburg comes less than a month after Chinese scientists celebrated their scientific achievements in the Arctic by marking the 20th anniversary of operations at China's Yellow River, or Huanghe, research facility.
"At 9:00 a.m. local time on July 28, all the inspection team members of the Huanghe Station lined up, sang the national anthem, and saluted the national flag," PRIC said in a report on its website that said Chinese scientists had visited 600 times and undertaken 250 projects in that time.
Newsweek contacted PRIC for comment.
The Growing Interest in Svalbard
The Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard has long been a place of international cooperation, attracting researchers and explorers from around the world. However, the recent increased interest from China and Russia has sparked concerns about the future of Svalbard and its strategic importance in the Arctic region.
The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) has registered an increased interest in Svalbard by China. In its national threat assessment for 2024, the PST wrote that Chinese students and researchers operate in Svalbard. That is to normalize Chinese activity and facilitate intelligence work, according to the report. Many Chinese tourists have visited Longyearbyen this summer, and some have behaved in a way that has raised suspicion of whether they have been mapping buildings and infrastructure. In the past years, there have also been several Chinese attempts to buy Norwegian properties, such as housing, cabins, and commercial property. China also wants to build a laser station in Adventdalen.
The Norwegian government has expressed concerns about the increasing Chinese presence in Svalbard and has taken steps to regulate research activities in the archipelago. In May, the government published a new Svalbard white paper, which seeks to limit the development of new scientific and educational centers in the area. The paper proposes the establishment of the Svalbard Research Office, which will coordinate foreign study projects.
The Future of Svalbard: A New Cold War?
The growing tensions between Russia and the West, coupled with China's increasing assertiveness in the Arctic, have raised concerns about the future of Svalbard. Some experts believe that the archipelago could become a new Cold War battlefield, with competing powers vying for influence and control. Others are more optimistic, arguing that international cooperation can still prevail in the Arctic and that Svalbard can remain a haven for scientific research and exploration.
Only time will tell what the future holds for Svalbard. But one thing is certain: the Arctic region is becoming increasingly important in the global geopolitical landscape, and the stakes are high for all involved.
Looking Ahead
The Arctic is a region of immense strategic and economic importance. The melting ice caps are opening up new shipping routes, and the region is rich in natural resources. As global powers vie for influence in the Arctic, it is crucial to maintain international cooperation and ensure that the region remains a place of peace and stability. The future of the Arctic will depend on the ability of all stakeholders to work together to address the challenges and opportunities facing this unique and fragile region.
