Chinese military activity continues to increase near Canada’s Arctic, as a Canadian warship encountered a Chinese polar research vessel in the Bering Strait near Alaska earlier this month.
The Department of National Defence said that Canada’s “competitors are not waiting to take advantage” of the natural resources in the area which are becoming more accessible as the Arctic circle begins to warm.
The Canadian warship was on its first-ever Arctic patrol, when it encountered a Chinese polar research vessel in the Beijing Strait.
According to the DND, our warming Arctic has made the “vast and sensitive region more accessible to foreign actors” who are seeking transportation routes and natural resources.
“Competitors are not waiting to take advantage – seeking access, transportation routes, natural resources, critical minerals, and energy sources through more frequent and regular presence and activity. They are exploring Arctic waters and the seafloor, probing our infrastructure and collecting intelligence,” said the department in a statement.
The DND warned that global competitors have ramped up their intelligence gathering in the region in recent years, however the recent exchange did not pose an immediate threat.
“On this deployment, the ship and its embarked CH-148 Cyclone Air Detachment interacted safely and professionally with the Chinese Research Vessel Xue Long 2 throughout its transit through the Bering Strait,” Andrée-Anne Poulin, a spokesperson for the DND told True North.
“The Canadian Armed Forces was also aware of the presence of a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) naval task group, which remained in international waters at all times. The Chinese naval task group had no encounters with HMCS Regina. To maintain the security of our missions and personnel, we will not disclose further specific operational details.”
The U.S. Coast Guard first reported the Chinese flotilla on July 6, after detecting foreign vessels within an economic zone exclusive to the U.S. The region extends 200 miles from the Alaska coastline.
“The U.S. Coast Guard encountered multiple People’s Republic of China military ships in the Bering Sea, Saturday and Sunday,” said the Department of Homeland Security in a statement. “The Chinese vessels responded to U.S. Coast Guard radio communication and their stated purpose was “freedom of navigation operations.”
The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Kimball continued to monitor the Chinese flotilla until it returned into the Pacific Ocean south of the Aleutian Islands, reported the agency.
HMCS Regina was dispatched from Esquimalt, a Canadian Armed Forces Base near Victoria, B.C. a day after the U.S. Coast Guard report.
Commander of the Canadian navy’s Pacific fleet Dave Mazur said that while the departure was “on short notice” it was still an “impactful deployment” in a post to X.
According to DND spokesperson Frederica Dupuis, military activity from both China and Russia has been escalating in the Arctic region that approaches North America.
“We are seeing more Russian activity in our air approaches, and a growing number of Chinese dual-purpose research vessels and surveillance platforms collecting data about the Canadian North that is, by Chinese law, made available to China’s military,” said Dupuis in a statement.
Chinese and Russian bombers flew in tandem for the first time in international airspace off the Alaskan coast last week.
According to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, the bombers were tracked by Canadian and U.S. fighter jets.
“Despite not being an Arctic nation, China seeks to become a ‘polar great power’ by 2030 and is demonstrating an intent to play a larger role in the region. The steady growth of its navy, including its conventional and nuclear-powered submarine fleet, will support this ambition,” said Dupuis.
