The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has recently voiced concerns over Russia’s considerable military expansion and China’s growing interest in the Arctic region. Reports suggest a strengthening strategic alliance between China and Russia in this geopolitically significant area.
The Concerns Over the Sino-Russian Cooperation
The concerns regarding this cooperation primarily revolve around four factors: Russian military build-up, China’s claim, climate change, and conflict with the US interests.
Russia has established a new Arctic Command and revived numerous former Soviet-era Arctic military sites, including deep-water ports and airfields. It indicates a significant Russian military resurgence, including deploying new bases and advanced weapons systems.
China, on the other hand, has self-proclaimed as a near-Arctic state. China is planning to construct the world’s largest icebreaker and invest massively in research, infrastructure, and energy projects in the north.
As climate change accelerates ice thawing, it is projected to unveil more waterways that could potentially be exploited to explore new shipping routes. These routes could revolutionize global trade by shortening longer and costlier journeys.
Moreover, China’s strategic partnership with Russia and their extended cooperation in the Arctic has raised concerns for the US. It sees this pairing as a threat to American values and interests.
The Existing Cooperation among Nations in the Arctic
Eight nations—USA, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Russia—constitute the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum aimed at promoting regional cooperation. On three occasions, the Arctic States have negotiated legally binding agreements. These include the Agreement on Cooperation on Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue in the Arctic (signed in 2011), Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic (signed in 2013), and Agreement on Enhancing International Arctic Scientific Cooperation (signed in 2017).
India’s Stake in the Arctic Zone
India’s interests in the Arctic region are multifaceted, encompassing scientific, environmental, commercial, and strategic aspects. India became an observer of the Arctic Council in 2013, renewed for another five years in 2018.
The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), overseen by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, is the chief agency responsible for India’s Polar research program including Arctic studies.
India has a permanent research station in the Arctic named Himadari at NyAlesund, Svalbard Area in Norway since 2008. It has also set up a multi-sensor moored observatory called IndARC in the Kongsfjorden fjord since 2014.
The Arctic impacts the earth’s ecosystem’s atmospheric, oceanographic, and biogeochemical cycles. The region is extra-sensitive to climate change and global warming, evident from the decline in sea ice, ice caps, and the warming ocean and atmosphere. These effects can potentially alter salinity levels, the temperature differential between land and oceans in tropical regions, subtropical aridity, and heightened precipitation at high latitudes.
UPSC Civil Services Examination – Previous Year Questions
In the 2014 Prelims of UPSC Civil Services Examination, candidates were asked to identify members of the Arctic Council from a given list of countries. The correct answer was Denmark, Russian Federation, and United States of America.
The Mains examination of 2021 included a question on how the melting of Arctic ice and Antarctic glaciers distinctly affect the weather patterns and human activities on Earth. These questions underline the importance of understanding geopolitics of the Arctic region for civil services aspirants.
