The United States recently released the geographical coordinates of the United States to extend the limits of the continental shelf, unilaterally announcing its claim to extend the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean and other regions. The Russian side expressed strong dissatisfaction with this.
Analysts pointed out that the purpose of the US move is to exploit minerals, oil and gas and other resources in a wider range of surrounding waters. The United States claims that this move is based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), but the United States is not a party to the UNCLOS, and its claims are difficult to accept by relevant countries, which will further intensify the geopolitical game with Russia in the Arctic region.
The U.S. proposition is difficult to recognize
According to a statement by the United States, the continental shelf delineated this time is located 200 nautical miles from the baselines of its territorial sea and is known as the extended continental shelf. These extended continental shelves cover a total area of about 1 million square kilometers and are distributed in seven regions, including the Arctic.
The Arctic continent and islands cover an area of about 8 million square kilometers, and the territorial sovereignty of the continents and islands belongs to the eight Arctic countries of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. The Arctic Ocean covers an area of more than 12 million square kilometers, and the relevant maritime rights and interests are shared by coastal states and countries in accordance with international law. There is no single international treaty on Arctic affairs, which is governed by international treaties such as the Charter of the United Nations, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Spitsbergen Treaty, and general international law.
In addition, the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, established under the Convention, is responsible for considering submissions made by coastal States concerning the outer limits of their continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.
The United States claims that its claim to extend the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean and other areas is based on the Convention, but ironically, the United States is not a party to the Convention and its delimitation claim has not been considered by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.
James Kraska, a professor of international law of the sea at the U.S. Naval Military Academy, pointed out that because the U.S. claim to extend the continental shelf has not been endorsed by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, it is difficult for other countries to accept. Rebecca Pincus, director of the Polar Research Institute at the Wilson Center, a US think tank, said that the United States' unilateral delimitation of the continental shelf by circumventing the Convention could anger other countries, and "many countries will have opinions about the way the United States is doing."
As for the purpose of the U.S. move, Kraska believes that the Arctic Circle contains a variety of minerals with a wide range of uses, including lithium for batteries and tellurium, which is needed to make solar cells. By declaring the extension of the limits of the continental shelf, the United States intends to ensure that minerals on the seabed and subsoil in the relevant area can be used for its own use.
The U.S.-Russia Arctic dispute threatens to escalate
The latest US claims on Arctic territory have aroused strong dissatisfaction from the Russian side. Konstantin Kosachev, deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament), said on the 25th that any country's claims to the continental shelf should be discussed within the framework of the United Nations, that the United States' actions have no basis in international law, and that the international community has the right not to recognize the unilateral claims of the United States.
On the same day, Nikolai Haritonov, chairman of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) for the development of the Far East and the Arctic, said that such a unilateral approach by the United States is unacceptable and could lead to an increase in tensions. The U.S. side must first prove the geological affiliation of these territories.
Analysts have pointed out that the United States and Russia already have contradictions on issues such as the development of the Arctic and NATO's military activities in the Arctic region, and the US move to announce the extension of the continental shelf this time is likely to further intensify the contradictions between the two countries.
Russia's Putin said at a recent meeting on the development of the Arctic that the Arctic region is of vital importance to Russia's security and the country's energy development. In recent years, the expansion of logistics capabilities and the full-scale development of the Arctic, as well as the development of the Arctic region, have been a priority for Russia.
Currently, in response to the NATO threat, Russia is strengthening its military deployment and strategic arrangements in the Arctic region. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federal Armed Forces, said at a recent press conference for foreign military attachés in Russia that the West is increasing its military presence in the Arctic region and developing military infrastructure near Russia's borders. The focus of the United States and NATO is on containing Russia in the Arctic region. The presence of the Russian army in the Arctic is not intended to demonstrate military strength, but to ensure the security of economic development in the region, including ensuring the safety of navigation in the Arctic shipping lanes and implementing projects in the field of exploration and exploitation of natural resources.
Xinhua News Agency reporter Deng Xianlai Zhao Bing).
*: Xinhuanet).