February 4, 2022, President Vladimir Putin and China’s President Xi Jinping issued the “Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on the International Relations Entering a New Era and the Global Sustainable Development.”
The document was a public announcement memorializing the two countries’ mutual admiration, security, and 30-year energy and bilateral economic wealth agreement. As you would suspect, the joint statement content had all the highfalutin language about “cultural diversity,” “rights of peoples of different countries to self-determination,” and “promote genuine democracy.” Nevertheless, there are important messages in the joint statement once the reader cuts through all the nonsensical claptrap coming from two nations least likely to put into practice any of the values implicit in the words used.
When stripped to its most basic intended narrative, the “Joint Statement” is a screed against the United States, NATO, US Indo-Pacific allies, and their combined global security and economic aspirations.
In a sentence, what Russia and China told the world in 5,364 words, not counting the title and date, is “We are collaborating to be the economic and geopolitical leaders of the world to the exclusion of every other nation’s interest. So, get used to it.” This narrative carries a warning NATO, the EU, and the US should have bright on their radars. The statement declares:
“The sides agreed to continue consistently intensifying practical cooperation for the sustainable development of the Arctic. The sides call upon all countries to strengthen cooperation in sustainable transport, actively build contacts and share knowledge in the construction of transport facilities, including smart transport and sustainable transport, development, and use of Arctic routes, as well as to develop other areas to support global post-epidemic recovery.”
Both Moscow and Beijing have made no secret about plans for establishing dominion over the Arctic. They dress up their intentions with language like “cooperation within multilateral mechanisms.” Without the window dressing, the two countries mean more collaboration in developing the Arctic region to benefit them. “China hopes to work with all parties to build a ‘Polar Silk Road’ through developing the Arctic shipping routes,” Reuters reported. “China’s increasing prominence in the region has prompted concerns from Arctic states over its long-term strategic objectives, including possible military deployment.”
Meanwhile, Russia is moving forward with an intense focus on building up its Arctic military facilities. The recent Russia-China agreement would substantiate the observation the Kremlin and Communist Chinese Party (CCP) see the Arctic as an opportunity to work in concert with a joint front to oppose others from benefitting from the region. CCP and Kremlin navies controlling the sea lanes of large swaths of the Bearing Sea, Norwegian Sea, Baltic Sea, and potential warm water pathways around the North Pole could hold a vast number of transportation routes at risk.
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