China Lashes Out As U.S. Reports Tracking Chinese Research Vessel in Arctic
The U.S. Coast Guard reported on July 26 that it has been tracking a Chinese-flagged research vessel that it contends entered U.S. waters in the Arctic, and this came after a similar report from the Canadians. China was quick to respond, through its Global Times newspaper, launching a broad range of accusations at the U.S., which it called a “rule-breaker” and “global troublemaker.”
The vessel Xue Long 2 (12,769 gross tons) was “detected,” the U.S. Coast Guard said in its statement, and that it had responded to the vessel. They reported dispatching a C-130J aircraft to locate and document the Chinese vessel. USCG released photos of the vessel.
The U.S. contends the vessel was on the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf, approximately 290 nautical miles north of Utqiagvik, Alaska. The U.S. said the vessel was 130 nautical miles inside the ECS boundary.
“The U.S. has exclusive rights to conserve and manage the living and non-living resources of its ESC,” wrote the USCG.
China lashed out at the U.S. reporting of its research vessel in the Arctic (USCG)
The U.S. sighting came days after Canada’s CBC revealed that Canadian forces had also been tracking the vessel as it moved in the Arctic. On July 22, the Canadian military, however, asserted the vessel was not currently in Canadian territorial waters.
According to CBC, the vessel, which was built in 2019, had left Shanghai on July 6, making its way along the western Pacific coastline. The ship, which is operated by the Polar Research Institute of China, is 122.5 meters (approximately 402 feet) in length. China reports it has a 20,000 nautical mile endurance and a capacity of 101 people. It can continuously break through ice of up to 1.5 meters (nearly 5 feet) at a speed of 2 to 3 knots.
In a highly ironic statement, China asserts the vessel is in international waters and accuses the U.S. of making the ECS “a self-drawn area, a unilateral claim of territory.” They claim the U.S. redrew the boundaries in December 2023 and said China opposes any country’s unilateral self-interpretation. They assert the U.S. has a “blatant disregard for international law.”
"China's position on Arctic maritime rights and interests has been made clear that they must be handled in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” writes the Global Times.
The Chinese statement says that in addition to the U.S., nations including Canada, Denmark, Norway, and Russia have all made sovereign claims over sections of the Arctic seabed. They say it is motivated by the region’s vast resources.
The research vessel Xue Long 2 is on a repeat visit to the Arctic after having conducted a similar visit in 2024. In 2023, the Polar Research Institute highlighted that it was launching its 13th research expedition to the Arctic. They said the 2022 mission had lasted 79 days and covered 14,000 nautical miles. They predicted the 2023 mission would be more comprehensive, covering 15,500 nautical miles.
The Global Times said last weekend’s release by the USCG “is essentially about stoking anti-China sentiment at home and peddling the China threat narrative abroad to create confrontation.” They said it was more rhetoric from the United States.