China joins nations seeking treasure in warming Arctic
Source: MSNBC
Bid to join Arctic Council is so 'it won't be shut out from decisions on minerals and shipping,' expert says
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
updated 9/19/2012 11:35:33 AM ET
NUUK, Greenland With Arctic ice melting at record pace, the worlds superpowers are increasingly jockeying for political influence and economic position in outposts like this one, previously regarded as barren wastelands.
At stake are the Arctics abundant supplies of oil, gas and minerals that are, thanks to climate change, becoming newly accessible along with increasingly navigable polar shipping shortcuts. This year, China has become a far more aggressive player in this frigid field, experts say, provoking alarm among Western powers.
While the United States, Russia and several nations of the European Union have Arctic territory, China has none, and as a result, has been deploying its wealth and diplomatic clout to secure toeholds in the region.
The Arctic has risen rapidly on Chinas foreign policy agenda in the past two years, said Linda Jakobson, East Asia program director at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney, Australia. So, she said, the Chinese are exploring how they could get involved.
In August, China sent its first ship across the Arctic to Europe and it is lobbying intensely for permanent observer status on the Arctic Council, the loose international body of eight Arctic nations that develops policy for the region, arguing that it is a near Arctic state and proclaiming that the Arctic is the inherited wealth of all humankind, in the words of Chinas State Oceanic Administration.
To promote the council bid and improve relations with Arctic nations, its ministers visited Denmark, Sweden and Iceland this summer, offering lucrative trade deals. High-level diplomats have also visited Greenland, where Chinese companies are investing in a developing mining industry, with proposals to import Chinese work crews for construction.
Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49086436/ns/world_news-the_new_york_times/#.UFvcelHZ0Z8
Screw the environment. Capitalism always wins.
Voice for Peace
(13,141 posts)JRLeft
(7,010 posts)Voice for Peace
(13,141 posts)AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)Yeah, you know what? I am wishing ill will towards the government of the PRC. Same for the crooks amongst the Duma and the corporate criminals here in America. May their downfall come, and hopefully someday soon.
JRLeft
(7,010 posts)ibegurpard
(16,685 posts)AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)Hey, there's lot's of fucked up crap going on right now.....but don't forget the good side of humanity, either: the Martin Luther Kings, the Rachel Carsons, the John Lennons, the Abe Lincolns, etc.