{"id":24518,"date":"2016-02-05T12:19:26","date_gmt":"2016-02-05T01:19:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=24518"},"modified":"2016-02-05T14:14:02","modified_gmt":"2016-02-05T03:14:02","slug":"considering-chinas-strategic-interests-in-antarctica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/considering-chinas-strategic-interests-in-antarctica\/","title":{"rendered":"Considering China\u2019s strategic interests in Antarctica"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"China<\/a><\/figure>\n

Beijing\u2019s recent announcement that its new ice breaker, the\u00a0<\/span>Haibing 722 <\/span>\u6d77\u51b0<\/span> (Sea Ice),<\/span><\/a> had undertaken its maiden voyage patrolling the Bohai Sea is a signal of China\u2019s growing prowess in the polar regions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Haibing 722 is the first of a new class of ice breakers developed as part of China\u2019s strategy to pursue its polar interests. Alongside <\/span>China\u2019s ice breaking research vessel\u00a0<\/span>Xuelong <\/span>\u96ea<\/span>\u9f99<\/span> (Snow Dragon),<\/span><\/a> the Chinese government is currently\u00a0<\/span>building a second vessel<\/span><\/a> to be used in the Antarctic. China is playing catch up in the polar regions and its capabilities are rapidly increasing.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Australia has claimed 42% of Antarctica since 1933\u2014an area equal to three quarters of the size of mainland Australia\u2014there\u2019s no doubt that we should be more aware of Chinese interests and aspirations. <\/span>Article 4 of the Antarctic Treaty provides that no Antarctic claim\u00a0<\/span>(there are seven)<\/span><\/a> are either disputed nor recognised, and further states that\u00a0<\/span>\u2018no new claim shall be asserted while the present (Antarctic) Treaty is in force\u2019<\/span><\/a>, effectively protecting Australia from other states making overt or public claims to our external territory.<\/span><\/p>\n

Australia has long maintained a leading role in Antarctic affairs, and can be considered a \u2018norm creator\u2019 when it comes to protecting the world\u2019s last great wilderness. Australia, led by the Hawke government,\u00a0<\/span>took a leading role in establishing the Madrid Protocol,<\/span><\/a> which prohibits Antarctic mining and designates the continent to be a\u00a0<\/span>\u2018natural reserve, devoted to peace and science\u2019<\/span><\/a>. However, the landmark agreement will be up for discussion in 2048, should one of the Parties request a review. It\u2019s<\/span> thought<\/span><\/a> that China\u2019s growing interest in the Antarctic could be partly associated with the possibility of a Protocol review which could ease restrictions on mining.<\/span><\/p>\n

China\u2019s aspirations on the cold continent have been growing steadily since it first joined the Antarctic Treaty in 1983, and\u00a0<\/span>it has long been suspected<\/span><\/a> that Beijing is interested in the untapped resources the continent offers. Antarctica is\u00a0<\/span>speculated<\/span><\/a> to be home to oil, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese and hydrocarbon, as well as 90% of the earth\u2019s fresh water resources, and possibly\u00a0<\/span>diamond reserves<\/span><\/a>. It\u2019s also\u00a0<\/span>home to fisheries<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>which include<\/span><\/a> Antarctic Krill and the sought-after Patagonian Toothfish. Despite the challenges of mining in the world\u2019s most inhospitable environment,\u00a0<\/span>technological advances over the next 30 years<\/span><\/a> could make mineral resource extraction in the Antarctic a reality.<\/span><\/p>\n

China has developed a presence in the Antarctic through the establishment of four research stations, three of which are located in the Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT). China has already\u00a0<\/span>bestowed Chinese <\/span>names on 359 sites<\/span><\/a> on Antarctica. Notably, China\u2019s Kunlun <\/span>(<\/span>\u6606<\/span>\u4ed1<\/span>\u7ad9<\/span>) research station, which opened in Australian territory in 2009, is located 7.4 kilometres from\u00a0<\/span>Dome Argus (Dome A)<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>close to the centre of the continent\u2014a demonstration of China\u2019s commitment to Antarctica. Meanwhile, <\/span>budget constraints placed on the\u00a0<\/span>Australian Antarctic Division<\/span><\/a> have meant that Australia doesn\u2019t possess the resources or equipment to develop a research base in this area. Moreover, China\u2019s newest base, the Taishan <\/span>(<\/span>\u6cf0\u5c71\u7ad9<\/span>), which opened in 2014, is also located in the AAT. The Chinese government has recently\u00a0<\/span>announced plans to build a fifth<\/span><\/a> research base in in the near future located in the Ross Sea region,\u00a0<\/span>which is speculated to be home to oil and gas deposits.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Chinese President Xi Jinping\u2019s 2014 visit to Hobart can also be seen an indication of China\u2019s growing interest in the Antarctic. Yang Huigen, a member of Xi\u2019s visiting delegation and the director general of the Polar Research Institute of China,\u00a0<\/span>stated<\/span><\/a> that Chinese research <\/span>\u2018is natural-science based\u2019, but acknowledged growing \u2018concern about resource security\u2019. Shortly after the visit, the\u00a0<\/span>Polar Research Institute opened a new division within the organisation<\/span><\/a> dedicated to the study of geopolitics, law, governance and resources in the Antarctic.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Antarctic specialist Anne-Marie Brady,\u00a0<\/span>\u2018China\u2019s rapid Antarctic\u2026expansion reflects Beijing\u2019s desire to become a maritime, and polar, great power\u2019<\/span><\/a>. Brady also argues that the establishment of China\u2019s firth research base \u2018will consolidate China\u2019s Antarctic interests and help make china a leading contender in polar affairs\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

The reality of Australia\u2019s relatively weakened position in Antarctic research isn\u2019t lost on the specialists at the Australian Antarctic Division and other Hobart-based research bodies, such as the\u00a0<\/span>Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre<\/span><\/a> and the\u00a0<\/span>Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>Budget constraints<\/span><\/a> make their jobs increasingly difficult. The unveiling of\u00a0<\/span>Australia\u2019s replacement icebreaker in 2015<\/span><\/a> is a welcome development, but greater resources are required if Australia is to protect its investment in its claimed Antarctic territory well into the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

Australia has\u00a0<\/span>benefited from Antarctic research cooperation with its Chinese counterparts<\/span><\/a>, but we must prepare for a possible future where national interest trumps friendly cooperation.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Beijing\u2019s recent announcement that its new ice breaker, the\u00a0Haibing 722 \u6d77\u51b0 (Sea Ice), had undertaken its maiden voyage patrolling the Bohai Sea is a signal of China\u2019s growing prowess in the polar regions. Haibing 722 …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":396,"featured_media":24519,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[990,199,17,52,460,90],"class_list":["post-24518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-antarctic-treaty","tag-antarctica","tag-australia","tag-china","tag-mining","tag-strategic-interests"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nConsidering China\u2019s strategic interests in Antarctica | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/considering-chinas-strategic-interests-in-antarctica\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Considering China\u2019s strategic interests in Antarctica | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Beijing\u2019s recent announcement that its new ice breaker, the\u00a0Haibing 722 \u6d77\u51b0 (Sea Ice), had undertaken its maiden voyage patrolling the Bohai Sea is a signal of China\u2019s growing prowess in the polar regions. 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