Paul Goble
Staunton, Sept. 9 – Beijing plans to work with Russia on scientific research on Svalbard, according to Marc Lanteigne at Norway’s Arctic University, a move that will set off alarm bells in the West now because of Russia’s attention to Norway’s archipelago and in Moscow later because it is another sign that China is becoming senior partner to Russia in the Arctic.
Lanteigne told Thomas Nilsen of The Barents Observer that Svalbard is increasingly more important to China as a research center because Beijing has largely been frozen out of Canada and Greenland (thebarentsobserver.com/en/arctic/2024/09/svalbard-research-becomes-more-important-china-professor-says).
Building on its cooperate with Russia in the Antarctic and responding to Moscow’s call for BRICS countries to work together in the Arctic, the Norwegian research continues, China is ready to expand its activities on Svalbard and more generally with Russia in other parts of the Arctic region.
In the short term, Moscow will certainly welcome China’s increased involvement, especially since Beijing agrees with the Russian government that Norway is violating the spirit of the Svalbard Treaty by limiting the focus of research there and thus may help Russia advance its broader goals in the region (https://jamestown.org/program/moscows-first-move-against-nato-could-take-place-in-norways-svalbard-archipelago/)
But over the longer haul, Moscow along with the West will have much to worry about if China’s role expands to the point that even at the Western end of the Northern Sea Route Beijing becomes the paramount power and pushes Russia aside (jamestown.org/program/china-helping-russia-on-northern-sea-route-now-but-ready-to-push-moscow-aside-later/).
According to Lanteigne, China has “the unusual luxury” of working with Russia but “not slamming the door” to cooperation with other countries while advancing its own interests.
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