Iceland as China's Secret Weapon

With open ports year-round, Iceland is now being wooed by China and Russia alike for its growing strategic position, China Topics reports: 

The tradition power-broker in the North Atlantic, the United States, withdrew its last troops in 2006 as part of America's post-Cold War wind-down. Eager to step into the vacuum, China is bundling up and heading north. Last year, the first Chinesetanker ran the Northwest Passage, the same year Beijing entered into a free-trade agreement with Reykjavik.