Canadian military encounters Chinese research vessel in Arctic, warns competitors are 'probing' infrastructure

HMCS Regina sails past the Victoria shoreline on August 6, 2020. (Department of National Defence)

A Canadian warship on its first-ever Arctic patrol encountered a Chinese polar research vessel in the Bering Strait off Alaska earlier this month, as the Department of National Defence says global competitors are increasingly probing Canadian infrastructure and gathering intelligence in a warming Arctic.

A National Defence spokesperson on Wednesday confirmed the encounter with the Chinese vessel in response to questions CTV News raised last week about the presence of a Chinese military task group in the region.

Department spokesperson Frederica Dupuis said HMCS Regina and its CH-148 Cyclone helicopter "interacted safely and professionally" with the Chinese research vessel Xue Long 2 as it transited the strait, but did not have any encounters with the four-warship task group, which she said "remained in international waters at all times."

The presence of the Chinese military flotilla was first noted earlier this month by the U.S. Coast Guard, which detected the foreign vessels within the country's exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles from the Alaska coastline, on July 6.

HMCS Regina was dispatched from Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, near Victoria, the following day, in what Dave Mazur, the commander of the Canadian navy's Pacific fleet, described in a social media post as "on short notice for a brief but impactful deployment."

In a July 10 statement, the U.S. Coast Guard said the Chinese People's Liberation Army vessels responded to radio communications and stated their purpose in the area as "freedom of navigation operations."

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Kimball monitored the Chinese task group until it crossed back into the Pacific Ocean south of the Aleutian Islands, the agency said.

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"Our Arctic is now warming at about four times the global average, making a vast and sensitive region more accessible to foreign actors who have growing capabilities and regional military ambitions," Dupuis said in an emailed statement.

"Competitors are not waiting to take advantage – seeking access, transportation routes, natural resources, critical minerals, and energy sources through more frequent and regular presence and activity. They are exploring Arctic waters and the seafloor, probing our infrastructure and collecting intelligence."

The National Defence spokesperson said China and Russia have been especially active recently in exploring the air and sea approaches to North America.

Just last week, Russian and Chinese bombers flew together for the first time in international airspace off the Alaskan coast. The bombers were tracked and intercepted by U.S. and Canadian fighter jets, according to a statement from the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

"We are seeing more Russian activity in our air approaches, and a growing number of Chinese dual-purpose research vessels and surveillance platforms collecting data about the Canadian North that is, by Chinese law, made available to China's military," Dupuis said.

"Despite not being an Arctic nation, China seeks to become a 'polar great power' by 2030 and is demonstrating an intent to play a larger role in the region. The steady growth of its navy, including its conventional and nuclear-powered submarine fleet, will support this ambition."