The United States intends to warn Iceland during the final stop on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's European trip next week of Chinese interest in gaining use of the nation's ports for access to the Arctic, a senior US official told reporters on Friday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th February, 2019) The United States intends to warn Iceland during the final stop on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's European trip next week of Chinese interest in gaining use of the nation's ports for access to the Arctic, a senior US official told reporters on Friday."We see Iceland as a place where the Chinese would like to develop a bridgehead including through port capabilities and doing so would position Iceland to be a natural hub for China vis-a-vis the Arctic," the official said.
US diplomats need to show up more often in Iceland to offer "alternatives to Chinese courtship," the official added.
Asked whether the Chinese have military designs in the Arctic, the official said, "the short answer to your question is, yes."
In addition, the official said both Russia and China are ahead of the United States in understanding the potential for resource extraction from the Arctic.
Iceland will be the final stop on Pompeo's February 11-15 visit to five European nations, the other stops being Belgium, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.
