On thin ice: The Antarctic Treaty is in danger of collapsing
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Newsweek
2 days ago
- Newsweek
Map Shows Where China and Russia Are Expanding Bases in Antarctica
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Expansion by Russia and China in Antarctica has raised concerns about the countries' military and mining ambitions for the territory. China has announced that it will build a sixth permanent research station on the icy continent, while Russia is reopening and upgrading stations and building a new runway. The 1961 Antarctic Treaty prohibits military activity on the continent, but experts have sounded the alarm that moves by Russia and China may transform it into another object of territorial competition. Newsweek has mapped the extent of the countries' existing operations around the South Pole and has contacted the Chinese and Russian foreign ministries for comment. Why It Matters The status of Antarctica as a pristine research reserve has been challenged by infrastructure and logistic expansions by China and Russia, which have prompted alarm about whether the countries have nonscientific motivations for the southern land. Meanwhile, the White House has announced $60 million cuts to its Antarctic funding, and representatives of the 58 Antarctic Treaty signatories discussed this month how the southern territory can remain a place for science and peace. This image taken on March 13, 2014, shows a Chinese base on King George Island in Antarctica. This image taken on March 13, 2014, shows a Chinese base on King George Island in To Know The Antarctic Treaty promotes international collaboration and lays aside the territorial claims of seven countries, which have all agreed not to act on their claimed ownership. Expansion plans are within the rights of the Antarctic Treaty, but China and Russia have raised suspicions about whether their intentions will remain peaceful and are also accused of undermining conservation efforts by blocking new protections for marine areas. In June, the United Kingdom's parliamentary environmental audit committee released a report that questioned whether Russian seismic surveys were for potential oil prospecting, rather than scientific exploration. The report also said both Russia and China were seen as pursuing strategic interests in the region—with Moscow looking to assert its status as a polar power, while China continues to expand its Antarctic infrastructure. China wants to build its sixth research station at Marie Byrd Land in the west of the continent to be opened in 2027. Beijing said there was no "geopolitical motive" behind the plans, according to the Australian outlet ABC. Newsweek's map shows China's Antarctic sites, three of which are permanent and three seasonal. They are Kunlun, Taishan, Zhongshan, Qinling, Great Wall Station and a site at Inexpressible Island. The map also shows 11 Russian sites, five of which are permanent, five seasonal and one temporarily closed. The permanent ones are at Molodezhnaya, Mirny, Novolazarevskaya, Bellingshausen and Vostok. A U.S. Defense Department report in 2022 said China's increased presence in Antarctica was likely intended to strengthen claims to natural resources and maritime access. Bill Muntean, a nonresident senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told ABC that there were "significant questions" about Russia's and China's scientific explorations on the continent. Jeffrey McGee, an expert in the Antarctic treaty from Australia's University of Tasmania, told the outlet that some scientific equipment installed by the countries could have dual scientific and military uses, such as infrared telescopes, GPS and ground-station receivers that can communicate with satellites. Worries about dual-use equipment were highlighted in a June 2022 report for the Sea Power Centre Australia, which concluded that while the Antarctic has not yet reached a period of militarization, it is no longer fully nonmilitarized and used solely for peaceful purposes. While the U.S. is the main player in the Antarctic region, the White House has announced cuts of about $60 million to its Antarctic funding, sparking concerns among experts. Muntean told The New York Times that the U.S. has been steadily retreating from activities in Antarctica. He said that while the country isn't closing any stations, it's not repairing them or building them and has been reducing some logistics capacity. What People Are Saying Bill Muntean, a nonresident senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Australia's ABC: "There are significant questions and concerns over activities in the oceans off Antarctica. … What are Russia and China doing with their scientific explorations?" A U.K. parliamentary environmental audit committee report released in June said: "With rising geopolitical tensions, particularly from countries like Russia and China, the U.K.'s role in supporting the Antarctic Treaty System is growing in importance." Sea Power Centre Australia wrote in a June 2022 report: "One of the main challenges Russia and China pose to the stability of the ATS is linked to suspicions of dual-purpose activities in the Antarctic, and notably military intelligence operation." What Happens Next China has said there is no "geopolitical motive" behind the expansion of its operations in Antarctica, but international concerns over the intentions of Beijing and Moscow in the icy continent are likely to continue.
ABC News
4 days ago
- ABC News
Russian and Chinese plans for Antarctic expansion spark alarm
Experts warn Russia and China's plans to expand their presence in Antarctica may be linked to mining or military ambitions that are at odds with the nature reserve's peaceful governing principles. Australia was among 58 signatories to the Antarctic Treaty, which covers activity in the region, which met behind closed doors in Milan in June and July. Earlier this year, China announced plans to build a sixth permanent research station in Antarctica, while Russia is reopening and upgrading stations, as well as building a new runway for long-haul aircraft. The two countries have also been accused of undermining conservation efforts by blocking new protections for marine areas. Some experts have raised concerns the infrastructure and logistical expansions could be underpinned by non-scientific motivations. Bill Muntean represented the United States at the 2023 meeting and is now a non-resident senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a policy research not-for-profit organisation based in Washington DC. "There are significant questions and concerns over activities in the oceans off Antarctica," he said. "What are Russia and China doing with their scientific explorations?" The Antarctic Treaty, which came into effect in 1961, prohibits military activity on the continent, and promotes scientific research. China and Russia are both signatories. Compounding the two nuclear-armed superpowers' expansion blueprint is the fact the White House has announced deep cuts to its Antarctic funding, totalling about $US60 million ($91.9 million). Jeffrey McGee, an expert in the treaty from the University of Tasmania, said Russia, China and the US were "big players" in Antarctica. "This pullback of funding from the United States means Australia has to be ready to step up, in terms of maintaining and increasing our scientific and logistics presence," Professor McGee said. "We need to make sure that we maintain and grow our influence in the region to protect that national interest." Professor McGee said some scientific equipment that had been installed on Antarctica could have dual uses. "What we are talking about here are infrared telescopes, GPS and ground-station receivers that can communicate with satellites," he said. "More and more of that equipment has been put into Antarctic research stations. "That gives rise to the possibility of that equipment having a dual purpose, in the sense that it can be used for scientific uses, but it can also interface with military and surveillance satellites, upload and download information or be involved in military command control communication systems." Increasing a strategic footprint in Antarctica could allow nations to secure future access to natural resources, strengthen geopolitical influence, and have a greater say in shaping the continent's future rules. Antarctica offers untapped potential and global leverage when it comes to science and security, as data from research stations that collect scientific data can also be used for military or intelligence purposes. Building outposts also gives countries a physical and technological presence that could be repurposed in the future. A report by the UK parliament's Environmental Audit Committee released last month highlighted how Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine deepened the geopolitical rift among signatories to the Antarctic Treaty. It questioned the purpose of Russia's seismic surveys in Antarctica, suggesting they could be about identifying natural resources. "Geopolitical tension and the prospect of potential mineral reserves are straining peace and environmental protection in Antarctica," the report found. "Antarctica's potential reserves of oil, coal and iron ore present a risk of future conflicts." The committee's chair, Tobi Perkins, told the ABC that Russia and China's expansion in Antarctica needed to be watched closely. "At this stage we don't know exactly what we should be worried about, but in the absence of dialogue and clarity and transparency, the Antarctic Treaty partners must maintain robust oversight," the MP said. While Russia and China's expansion plans are within the rights of the Antarctic Treaty, Mr Muntean says he wants the number of inspections of bases on the continent to increase. Under the treaty, countries are encouraged to hold each other to account over compliance issues. For example, Australia has conducted inspections in Antarctica for more than 60 years, including at bases operated by China, Russia and Moscow's puppet state, Belarus. "One can speculate on any number of things that can be happening in Antarctica," Mr Muntean said. "There hasn't been evidence of commercial mining that I've seen, just a lot of concern that the scientific activity could eventually lead to commercial mining. "But if there are any questions about what is down there for military equipment, personnel or reconnaissance, we need to check it out. "Shine the flashlight underneath the bed — is that a teddy bear or is it some scary monster? We've got the flashlight. Use it."
NZ Herald
23-07-2025
- NZ Herald
On thin ice: The Antarctic Treaty is in danger of collapsing
The 1959 Antarctic Treaty is recognised as one of the world's most successful and lasting international agreements, setting aside an entire continent for peaceful and scientific collaboration. This is obvious on the ground. I've spent weeks with teams of researchers from various countries at geopolitical loggerheads working together in isolated
