The Chinese Communist Party’s suspicious activities in the Arctic are increasingly concerning, particularly their dual military-civilian research in the region, posing potential national security risks to the United States and its allies. American lawmakers have expressed worries and called on the Biden administration to take stronger action to address this hidden danger.
On Wednesday, October 16th, the Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP, U.S. Representative John Moolenaar, and the committee’s Democratic Chief, Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, sent a letter to the U.S. State Department and Pentagon regarding the matter.
In their letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the two lawmakers highlighted the dual military-civilian research activities conducted by China in Iceland and Norway, emphasizing the potential threat they pose to the U.S. and its NATO allies. They stressed the importance of collaborating with allies to jointly address this threat.
The lawmakers wrote in the public letter, “China and Russia are expanding their military activities in the Arctic. The region is a strategic area for the deployment of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. Maintaining strategic advantages in the Arctic can enhance the effectiveness of our nuclear deterrent for the U.S. and NATO.”
They pointed out that the Arctic is a crucial location due to its proximity to the shortest air distance and missile routes between the U.S. and Eurasia, making it essential for early warning systems, missile defense, and potential interception of missile attacks.
In 2015, the importance of the Arctic to China’s national security was explicitly emphasized in its National Security Law.
In January 2018, the Chinese Communist Party officially released its first “White Paper on Arctic Policy,” stating that China is a “near-Arctic state” geopolitically, despite its northernmost Heilongjiang Province being over 1,400 kilometers away from the Arctic Circle.
Lawmakers pointed out that due to the significant distance between China and the Arctic territories, China’s establishment of satellite communication ground stations and scientific research in the Arctic can greatly enhance the operational capabilities of the Chinese military and advance China’s global ambitions.
According to the Svalbard Treaty signed in 1920, activities resembling warfare are explicitly prohibited on the remote archipelago of Svalbard, under Norwegian sovereignty. However, China is violating this treaty.
The public letter noted recent news reports indicating that China operates a research station named “Yellow River” on the Svalbard Islands in Norway, where the China Research Institute of Radio Wave Propagation (CRIRP), a team of the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), is stationed.
CRIRP, under CETC, one of China’s most significant defense groups, is defined by the U.S. Department of Defense as a “Chinese military enterprise” and listed on the 1260H List (related to Chinese military entities).
One of CETC’s goals is to apply civilian technology to the Chinese military. CRIRP also operates the electromagnetic environment research laboratory of the National Defense Key Laboratory, which specializes in classified military research.
Information disclosed in the public letter revealed that the U.S. has taken measures to address the threats posed by China in the Arctic. However, lawmakers hope to discuss with the government how to further deal with China’s activities in the Arctic, especially regarding potential threats in the military and technological domains.
Lawmakers requested responses from Blinken and Austin on the issues raised in the letter by November 15.
These issues mainly include evaluating China’s dual military-civilian research activities in Norway’s Svalbard Islands, Iceland, and the European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association (EISCAT) Northern European Observatory, their impact on U.S. national security, especially in missile defense, submarine detection, and satellite tracking capabilities; whether discussions have been held with the governments of Norway, Iceland, and Sweden regarding China’s activities; and specific countermeasures being discussed by the U.S. and NATO allies.
Furthermore, lawmakers also asked the government to respond to whether contacts have been made with Western private buyers attempting to purchase the last piece of private land on the Svalbard Islands, ensuring that China is not manipulating transactions behind the scenes.
Earlier in 2024, the Norwegian government, in efforts to prevent land from falling into Chinese hands, halted a plan to sell the last piece of private land on the Svalbard Islands to a Chinese buyer. Due to national security concerns, Norwegian authorities mandated that the owner of this land must obtain government approval before any sale occurs.