Hey Chris, what are you doing?
You know how China used a nine-dash line
to stakes its claim in the South China Sea?
I’m just counting how many dashes it needs
for its new claim in the Arctic.
I think it’s a...52-dash line?
Welcome back to China Uncensored.
I’m Chris Chappell.
What was that thing they said about winter
in that totally obscure TV show
that nobody’s ever heard of?
“Winter is coming.”
Oh, yeah.
Well, that’s just make believe.
Because here in the real world,
winter has been leaving—
at least in the North Pole.
“The Arctic is melting so fast,
the North Pole could be ice-free
during the summer
within the next decade or two.”
But that’s old news.
Seriously, that news report
was from a decade ago.
And guess what?
Ten years later,
a lot of the ice around the North Pole
is actually gone.
But what’s a loss for polar bears,
is a win for the Chinese Communist Party.
Because it means new access to
natural resources and shipping lanes!
Hooray!
The US geological survey also estimates
the Arctic holds about 13% of the world’s
undiscovered oil reserves
and 30% of the natural gas reserves.
“All in all, the Arctic holds about 22%
of the world’s undiscovered hydrocarbon resources.”
Wow!
Shipping lanes and natural resources?
No wonder China has just declared itself
a “near-Arctic state.”
China is definitely near the Arctic,
in the sense that the northernmost tip of China
is a mere thousand miles south of the Arctic Circle.
Which is like saying that New York
is a near-Carribean city because it’s only
1,000 miles from the Bahamas.
Beach time!
Of course, it’s actually snowing outside.
People who can read maps
might notice that England and even Germany
are further north than China.
China is actually much closer to the equator
than to the north pole.
But China is definitely on the same planet
as the Arctic,
so I guess that’s something.
At least it’s enough for the Chinese Communist Party
to have its own ambitious strategy for the Arctic.
“China is determined to better know the Arctic,
protect the Arctic,
utilize the Arctic,
and participate in the governance of the Arctic.”
Yes, the CCP wants China to be
one of the countries calling the shots in the Arctic,
and wants to quote unquote “utilize” the Arctic.
And that means using its seafaring shipping lanes
and getting its hands on Arctic resources.
Like Santa’s workshop.
Then all the toys will be Made in China!
That’s the gist of a new white paper
on China’s Arctic strategy,
recently published by China’s
State Council Information Office.
Ok, except for the part about Santa.
That’s still top secret.
Here’s what the white paper says.
“It stresses that China should be firm
in defining itself as an important
stakeholder in the Arctic,
for its geographic adjacency to the area
and its participation in the regional
and global affairs.”
A core component of this new plan
is to become a shipping powerhouse,
as the warming waters open up faster
and cheaper routes through the ice-free Arctic.
“A milestone was set in 2014
when a cargo vessel went through
the Northwest Passage without an ice breaker.”
The most important arctic shipping route
is the Northwest Passage.
It runs through Canada,
and links East Asia with the Eastern US
during the summer when the ice is melted.
It’s about 40% shorter than going
down through the Panama Canal.
It’s also much cheaper.
Hmm, cheaper and faster than the Panama Canal?
I sure hope Panama doesn’t regret dumping Taiwan
for the Chinese Communist Party.
The second major Arctic route is called
the Northeast Passage or the Northern Sea Route.
It runs along the coast of Russia.
Just 10 years ago,
no ships ran here because of the ice.
But in 2016,
19 ships crossed through the Northeast Passage.
For China, access to these shipping routes
has become a part of Xi Jinping’s
One Belt One Road initiative,
which is made of trade corridors
across land and along the sea.
One Belt One Road is the CCP’s
massive scheme to transport goods
between China and the rest of the world—
and in the process,
give China access to precious resources.
Now in its new Arctic strategy,
the Chinese regime is careful to point out
it has no territorial claims in the Arctic.
In fact, “China supports
the peaceful settlement of disputes
over territory and...blah blah blah...
efforts to safeguard security and stability in the region.”
Because when the Chinese regime
talks about protecting “peace and stability”
in a disputed region,
you know what it’s code for.
Send in the soldiers!
...of peace!
Look, there’s enough countries
with claims to the Arctic already.
Do they really need another country involved?
Especially one with a history
of building fake islands
and putting real missiles on them?
Even without China,
competing territorial claims in the Arctic
already make the North Pole
an explosive powder keg on thin ice.
Not long ago
Russia tried to show who’s boss
by running the biggest military drills
in the history of the Arctic––
over 155 thousand personnel,
thousands of jets, tanks and ships.
“The training scenario was such
that an armed conflict had erupted
over the South Kryll Islands with Japan
and the Russian Arctic army was tasked
with defending the Arctic territory
against the American army.”
So if the CCP really does get involved
in Arctic governance,
it’s going to have a lot to deal with.
So could the Arctic become
the new South China Sea?
Maybe we could call it the North China Pole.
If that happens,
I know what I’ll be doing.
So what do you think?
Will China join the race to control the Arctic?
Or will it chill out?
And who wants me to ride a polar bear?
Leave your comments below.
Thanks for watching this episode of China Uncensored.
Once again I’m your host Chris Chappell,
see you next time.
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