US, Canada and Finland to produce icebreakers to stop China and Russia in the Arctic

Washington, Jul 11 ​​(EFE).- The United States, Canada and Finland announced Thursday on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Washington an agreement to jointly produce icebreakers and increase their collaboration in the Arctic to confront the expansion of Russia and China in the region.

US Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh said the deal, which was announced by US President Joe Biden and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, along with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, is “a strategic imperative.”

“Without this agreement, we risk our adversaries gaining an advantage in a specialised technology with great geostrategic importance that might also allow them to become the preferred suppliers for countries interested in purchasing polar icebreakers,” Singh added.

The agreement, which will be formalised next year with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the three countries, may incorporate other partners in the future.

A senior US official has stressed that Russia and China are stepping up their collaboration in the Arctic and that the two countries have agreed to conduct joint patrols in the Bering Sea near the US territory of Alaska.

The US government views China’s activities, which in 2018 publicly declared its ambitions for the region and is increasing its production of icebreakers as well as its investments in Arctic countries, as a “strategic challenge.”

Russia, which currently has a fleet of more than 40 icebreakers – the largest and most advanced in the world – is also in the process of producing more units and consolidating its presence in the Arctic region.

By comparison, the United States has only two operational icebreakers, while Canada has regarding twenty and Finland has nine.

U.S. officials estimate that the needs of the U.S. and other allied countries will require the construction of between 70 and 90 icebreakers in the coming years, and Washington intends for American shipyards to “be able to compete for a significant share” of these potential orders.

The Arctic has become an increasingly important region for the world’s major powers thanks to the changes being generated by climate change, which is expected to soon allow navigation in the region.

In addition, the Arctic contains enormous natural resources that have previously been virtually inaccessible due to technical reasons and climatic conditions.

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