China’s Coast Guard on First Patrol in the Arctic With Russia
A US Coast Guard long-range surveillance aircraft photographed the Chinese Coast Guard vessels and the Russian Border Guard vessels southwest of St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea on September 28th. The Bering Sea is the northernmost part of the Pacific Ocean and is connected to the Arctic Ocean at the Bering Strait. (Photo: US Coast Guard)
Chinese Coast Guard and Russian Border Service vessels have conducted a joint patrol in the Arctic Ocean for the first time. The interaction takes place in the wake of a memorandum of understanding that the parties signed last year on maritime law enforcement.
On Saturday, two Chinese Coast Guard vessels and two Russian Border Service ships were observed by the US Coast Guard sailing northeastward outside the St. Lawrence island in the Bering Sea.
The group of ships sailed into the Arctic Ocean on Tuesday, thus beginning China's first coast guard patrol in this sea with Russia, writes the South China Morning Post.
Tuesday was also the People's Republic of China's 75th anniversary, and China and Russia celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations the following day.
The joint patrolling takes place in the wake of a memorandum of understanding on maritime law enforcement cooperation that the Chinese Coast Guard and FSB’s Border Guard Service signed in April 2023.
The memorandum, signed in Murmansk in northwestern Russia, opens for cooperation in Arctic waters to combat terrorism, illegal migration, drug and weapons smuggling, as well as illegal fishing.
This first operation in the Arctic Ocean has "effectively expanded the scope of the Coast Guard's navigation at sea, thoroughly tested the vessels' ability to carry out missions in unfamiliar waters, and provided strong support for active participation in international and regional ocean governance," China's Coast Guard stated on Wednesday in a post on the media platform Weibo.
Strategic competition
The US Coast Guard pointed out that Chinese Coast Guard vessels have not been observed this far north before, referring to Saturday's sighting.
"This recent activity demonstrates the increased interest in the Arctic by our strategic competitors," said Rear Admiral Megan Dean, the commander of the 17th Coast Guard District.
“The demand for Coast Guard services across the region continues to grow, requiring continuous investment in our capabilities to meet our strategic competitors’ presence and fulfill our statutory missions across an expanding operational area," Dean added.
The US Coast Guard faces significant challenges in implementing its icebreaker program. In July, the US, Finland, and Canada entered into a trilateral pact to build polar icebreakers.
Previous Russian-Chinese operations in the North
Russia and China have previously conducted joint military operations over and in the Bering Sea.
· In 2021, Chinese naval vessels carried out a patrol on their own in these areas.
