Sébastien Le Belzic, edited by Yanis Darras 11:52 a.m., January 31, 2023

This is a highly sensitive subject which opens at the Arctic Frontiers conference, from January 30 to February 2.

China's appetite for the North Pole worries countries with territories beyond the Arctic Circle.

The Chinese power is suspected of advancing its pawns by taking advantage of the weakening of Russia on the international scene.

It is a strategic ocean.

Since Monday, the Arctic has been at the heart of the Arctic Frontiers conference, which brings together in Norway all the countries with territories beyond the Arctic Circle.

But one country is particularly in everyone's mind: China.

The Middle Kingdom has no territory in the area but Beijing wants to extend its influence there, both economically and military, and could even take advantage of the weakening of Russia to push its pawns even further into the region. 

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Because the area has enough to make the mouth water of the party communicates Chinese.

Nearly a quarter of the planet's hydrocarbon resources could be found under the Arctic ice, according to American geologists.

In addition to the oil, gas and minerals present in this part of the world, new shipping lanes are expected to appear with global warming.

"Don't Believe Rumors"

China is already working on the subject, since Beijing is building infrastructure for its Russian ally in particular, to allow container ships to navigate beyond the Arctic Circle.

The countries of the region fear that China will take the opportunity to deploy troops, which Gao Feng, China's special representative for the Arctic, formally denies.

"Don't believe rumours," he calls, hoping to convince the countries in the area. 

If China, it is true, does not yet have any military base in the area, the United States takes the matter very seriously because the Americans have a radar station in the northwest of Greenland, with mission detection of enemy nuclear missile fire, starting with Russian missiles.