The appearance of the Chinese coast guard in Alaskan waters this time directly caught United States off guard. I was usually used to being leisurely in my "backyard", but suddenly I saw the Sino-Russian joint formation coming in, and I also took off my gun jacket and put myself in a proper posture to prepare for battle. For United States, this is not only an accident, but also a tension. Alaska, this is the back door of their house, and no one usually seems to dare to approach it so blatantly.
You know, the action of taking off the gun suit is a bit exquisite. Cruising in international waters, it's like putting your hand on the outside of your gun holster and telling the other person that "I'm ready to fire at any time", which is not only a matter of posture, but also a sign of confidence and strength. It is not surprising that the United States is nervous, and this kind of behavior of "writing war at the door" will not be considered just a friendly visit by even the most stupid people.
However, in the end, the most interesting thing behind this is not who picked up what kind of gun suit in Alaska, but the reality that the Arctic region is gradually becoming a global wrestling field. The most direct impact of climate change is the gradual opening of the Arctic shipping lanes, which represent huge economic benefits, shorter shipping times and cost savings. Whoever controls this waterway holds one of the lifeblood of global shipping. China and Russia have seen this very clearly on this point, taking advantage of the fact that the world's attention to the Arctic is not extremely concentrated, and the deepening of cooperation between the two sides is not only a matter of warships and coast guards, but also an advance of the overall strategic layout.
The United States, of course, could not sit still and proposed a "presence to exist" strategy, intending to suppress the expansion of China and Russia by increasing its military presence in the Arctic. In more layman's terms, if you come alone, I will come one, and if you take three steps, I will push two steps, and everyone will show each other a sense of existence. But the problem is that the complexity of the situation in the Arctic is escalating, and the world's major powers are staring at this "frozen gold mine", and the game is becoming more and more intense. United States wants to occupy the commanding heights through pure military force, but it may not be able to do so, after all, the Arctic is not only military, but also involves the interests of climate, resources, shipping lanes and other aspects. It is estimated that fighting hard in the military will make the situation more tense.
What is more noteworthy is that this operation can be seen as a turning point for China from "regional maritime defense" to "global maritime interests". In the past, China's maritime power was more focused on the South China Sea and the East China Sea, which are closer to its own territory, but now it has set its sights on international waters such as the Arctic. This change not only reflects China's self-confidence in global strategy, but also a clear signal that China's maritime interests are expanding and that it has the strength to defend them.
One might ask why China is cooperating with Russia. This question is not difficult to understand, the Arctic is a huge cake for the whole world, and it is obviously unrealistic for United States to want to eat it alone. Military and economic cooperation between China and Russia, especially in the Arctic, is not only to maximize their own interests, but also to weaken United States' global maritime hegemony. Although the United States is the hegemon of the sea, it has to re-examine its strategy in the face of such joint pressure from China and Russia. Traditional military superiority alone is no longer enough to cope with this increasingly complex international situation.
Finally, it has to be mentioned the future of the Arctic itself. This cold land has now become the new focus of the great power game. All sides are vying for control of the region, and China has gone from being a "bystander" to a "participant". In the next international game, China's role will only become more and more important. For United States, how to deal with Sino-Russian cooperation in the Arctic may be a long-term and thorny problem.
So finally, the editor would like to ask: In the face of the joint Arctic layout of China and Russia, will United States continue to increase its military presence, or will it find another way? What do you think about this?