Chinese Base in the Arctic?
According to a report in today’s Financial Times (FT), a Chinese tycoon plans to buy a vast tract of Icelandic land for a tourism project. Critics fear the move could give Beijing a strategic foothold in the North Atlantic.
The FT article surfaces just as the Maritime Security Review (MSR) is putting the finishing touches to this week’s edition of MSR InDepth, an interesting and topical briefing written by Paul Beaver and Malcolm Warr entitled; ‘The Arctic Ocean- Maritime Security Challenges’
Paul Beaver is a defence analyst and advisor based in London. He advises several House of Commons Select Committees and is an invited member of several All Party Parliamentary Groups with interests in defence and the Polar Regions.
Malcolm Warr, is an Associate of the Corbett Centre for Maritime Affairs based at Kings College London and the Defence Academy, Shrivenham
Readers wishing to receive ‘The Arctic Ocean- Maritime Security Challenges’, can register with MSR directly by clicking here or going to the registration page of our website at: http://www.marsecreview.com/why-subscribe/
The FT article is of particular interest and MSR advise readers to follow the link posted at the foot of the following extract from the FT:
Chinese tycoon seeks to buy tract of Iceland
By Andrew Ward in Stockholm and Leslie Hook in Beijing
A Chinese tycoon plans to buy a vast tract of Icelandic land for a $100m tourism project which critics fear could give Beijing a strategic foothold in the North Atlantic.
Huang Nubo, a real estate investor and former Chinese government official, has struck a provisional deal to acquire 300 square kilometres of wilderness in north-east Iceland where he plans to build an eco-tourism resort and golf course.
Opponents have questioned why such a large amount of land – equal to about 0.3 per cent of Iceland’s total area – is needed to build a hotel. They warned that the project could provide cover for China’s geopolitical interests in the Atlantic ……. [click here to read the full FT article]
