China may consider itself a near-Arctic state. We do not. It does not have a permanent presence in the Arctic. It certainly has a periodic, episodic and seasonal presence in the Arctic. The Chinese are working with Russia, where it's useful to them, to increase their presence in the Arctic. Their interest in critical minerals is known. That is something that we, as one of the richest countries in critical minerals, have to be very aware of.
On December 8th, 2022. See this statement in context.