Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Finland that the U.S. will compete for influence in the Arctic and counter attempts to make it the strategic preserve of any one or two nations
The Trump administration warned China and Russia on Monday that the U.S. won’t stand for aggressive moves in the Arctic region, which is rapidly opening up to development and commerce as temperatures warm and sea ice melts.
He said that group had once been able to focus solely on scientific, environmental and cultural issues, but profound changes in the Arctic’s environment and strategic rivalries made that extremely difficult now. Pompeo took particular aim at China, which, unlike Russia, does not have any territory or claim in the Arctic but holds observer status in the council.
“China’s pattern of aggressive behaviour elsewhere will inform how it treats the Arctic,” he said. Pompeo noted China’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea, which has alarmed many of its smaller neighbours. “Do we want the Arctic Ocean to transform into a new South China Sea, fraught with militarization and competing territorial claims?” he asked.
Pompeo also warned that Russia’s intentions in the Arctic, where it has embarked on a massive military expansion campaign, may prove destabilizing given its record. “But climate change will go even further. It may impact the inter-state relations and security in our region. The Arctic countries have a special responsibility – and a possibility – to preserve the Arctic as a region of peace and stability,” Soini said. Finland has spent its two-year chairmanship of the council focused on addressing climate change effects.
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