At the end of 2023. Magnus Mæland became the mayor of Kirkenes, town in northern Norway, where three Chinese delegations soon arrived.
China, although geographically far from the Arctic, has great ambitions in that region, buys land, invests in infrastructure and wants a permanent presence. Beijing is already represented as a “closely state”, and in the Arctic, Russia, the United States, Europe and India are fighting.
The warming of the arctic, which takes place four times faster than on the rest of the planet, opens access to huge natural resources such as oil, gas and key minerals. About 30% of unused world gas is located in that region. The melting of the ice also opens new ship routes between Asia and Europe, which significantly shortens the transport.
China develops a “polar path of silk” to use these benefits.
Kirkenes, once a mining town, is almost abandoned today, but local managers plan to build an international port that would connect Europe, Asia and North America. Norway is currently prohibiting land sale if it jeopardizes national security, and the Mayor Mæland invites cooperation with China, but also caution due to authoritarian regime dependencies.
Due to the rejection of European countries, China rotates Russia, the largest arctic force, with which there is military cooperation. The Chinese Coast Guard patrols Arctic together with Russian forces, and joint exercises sent a message to NATO, which strengthened his presence in the region.
Moscow keeps strategic resources and weapons, especially on the car peninsula, near the Norwegian border. Norway feels pressure through espionage, GPS interference and potential threats to submarines. NATO and Norway carefully follow Russian activities, maintaining communication channels to prevent conflict.
Svalbard, islands under Norwegian administration, but with an international approach, it is still the space of scientific research and mining. But after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, tensions grow, and there are doubts about the spygies of Chinese stations.
The autochthonous community of the Arctic, especially those in the Russian part, feels neglected and accuse the West for “green colonialism” and exploiting their territories under the oppetions of the climate crisis. Their daily struggles and injustices often remain beyond political discussions.
(Vijesti.ba)
