OTTAWA, ON (June 13, 2024):
As climate change and melting sea ice increase access to the Arctic, there’s a potential windfall of minerals, fossil fuels, and other critical resources at stake.
Russia and China increasingly see the region as key to their geopolitical ambitions and they view Western nations, including Canada, as rivals. As the saying goes, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” The implications of a shared enemy in the West are enough to drive increasing Arctic cooperation between the two authoritarian regimes for the next decade.
In Eurasian North – The geopolitics of Russia and China in the Arctic, Senior Fellow Alexander Dalziel delves into the complexities of this Arctic partnership.
While media simplistically highlights the 2022 statement of a “no-limits partnership” between Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, Dalziel contends that the relationship is more nuanced, with pragmatic interests driving the upward trend in Arctic cooperation.
For Russia, Western sanctions following its unprovoked, illegal invasion of Ukraine are forcing a strategic pivot towards China and Asia. The Arctic offers Russia vital maritime routes and abundant natural resources to trade. For China, the region represents a chance at diversification and global prominence by providing essential minerals and energy resources, and new transit routes to reduce reliance on other maritime chokepoints.
The geopolitical implications for Canada, the US, and our allies are profound. We need greater security integration among allied Arctic nations to maintain a competitive advantage.
“The era of Arctic exceptionalism is over,” concludes Dalziel.
“The ability to compete in the geopolitics of the Arctic will be a prerequisite of success on the world stage for Canada and its allies.”
To learn more, read the full paper here:
Alexander Dalziel is a MLI senior fellow with over 20 years of experience in Canada’s national security community. Previously, he held positions with the Privy Council Office, Canada School of Public Service, Department of National Defence, and Canada Border Services Agency.
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Skander Belouizdad
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skander.belouizdad@macdonaldlaurier.ca
