This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The US plans to beef up its Arctic presence to keep Russia’s and China’s “aggressive behaviour” in check in the resource-rich region, the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has warned

“The region has become an arena of global power and competition” owing to vast reserves of oil, gas, minerals and fish stocks, Pompeo said in a speech in northern Finland.

“Just because the Arctic is a place of wilderness does not mean it should become a place of lawlessness,” he said.

Speaking on the eve of a meeting of the eight members of the Arctic Council, Pompeo took on Beijing and Moscow.

“China’s pattern of aggressive behaviour elsewhere will inform how it treats the Arctic,” he said.

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He warned against scenarios whereby nations become ensnared by debt and corruption, of low-quality investments, militarisation and uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources, all of which he said were potential effects of allowing rising Chinese influence.

“Do we want the Arctic Ocean to transform into a new South China Sea, fraught with militarisation and competing territorial claims?” he said.

While the US and Russia are members of the Arctic Council, China holds only observer status in the cooperation body.

Noting that China’s most northern tip was 900 miles (1,450km) from the Arctic, Pompeo swatted down Beijing’s attempts to style itself as a “near Arctic state”.

“There are only Arctic states and non-Arctic states. No third category exists, and claiming otherwise entitles China to exactly nothing,” he said.

Beijing has invested massively in the region – almost $90bn between 2012 and 2017, according to Pompeo – and intends to fully benefit from the advantages of the Northern Sea Route.

The shipping channel, which drastically cuts sailing times between the Pacific and Atlantic by passing north of Russia, is increasingly usable as the ice melts.

China and Russia would like to make the Northern Sea Route a part of the New Silk Road project, a vast Chinese investment programme which several countries, especially the US, see as an attempt to gain control.

Gao Feng, China’s special representative for Arctic affairs, reacted by saying: “He said … It’s a competition of powers. OK, competition? Let’s see … who can get more friends.”

In his speech, Pompeo also denounced Russia’s “provocative actions”, accusing Moscow of wanting to remilitarise the region.

“Russia is already leaving snow prints in the form of army boots,” he said.

Under President Vladimir Putin, Moscow has beefed up its military presence in the region, reopening several bases that were abandoned after the fall of the Soviet Union.

The virulence of Pompeo’s remarks was noteworthy given the fact he made them just minutes before a bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, amid rising US-Russian tensions over Venezuela, among other things.

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The two smiled and shook hands in front of the assembled media, but refused to answer questions on the nature of their talks.

Pompeo later told reporters that he had spoken to Lavrov about Russian interference in US elections, telling the Russian foreign minister that “It’s not appropriate”.

To stifle rival ambitions in the Arctic, the US is “hosting military exercises, strengthening our force presence, rebuilding our icebreaker fleet, [and] expanding Coast Guard funding”, Pompeo said.

At Congress’s request, the Pentagon is to present a new defence strategy for the Arctic by 1 June.