Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“As soon as Magnus Mæland became mayor of a small town on Norway’s northern tip in late 2023, three delegations from China came knocking on his door. ‘It’s because they want to be a polar superpower,’ he tells me. China might not instinctively spring to mind when you think about the Arctic — but it’s determined to be a big Arctic player. It’s been vying to buy real estate, get involved in infrastructure projects and hopes to establish a permanent regional presence. China already describes itself as a ‘near-Arctic state,’ even though its northernmost regional capital Harbin is on roughly the same latitude as Venice, Italy. But the Arctic is fast becoming one of the most hotly-contested parts of the world.” (05/24/25)