Chinese submarines go deep under Arctic ice, raising US military concerns

US military officials are growing increasingly concerned about China‘s expeditions in the Arctic after the country’s research submarines traversed thousands of feet beneath the ice for the first time over the summer.

Such expeditions could yield valuable data about the natural resources underneath the melting ice caps, significantly reduce travel time for commercial shipping and position nuclear-armed submarines closer to potential targets – including the US, national security officials told the Wall Street Journal.

Chinese vessels on research missions are also often used to give cover to the military, noted US Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the top military leader for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The deep-sea submersible Jiaolong is seen diving in the Arctic Ocean on August 6

‘The Chinese are being more and more aggressive,’ he said, echoing a Department of Homeland Security memo in November that showed that the Chinese military and research have been operating around a section of the Arctic known as the ‘High North’.

China’s Foreign Ministry, though, has insisted that its activities in the Arctic are reasonable and lawful, ‘contributing to the maintenance and promotion of peace, stability and sustainable development in the region.’

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