Both Canada and the U.S. have been discreetly monitoring two Chinese icebreaking research vessels in the Arctic waters off Alaska for the past couple of weeks. The Xue Long (Snow Dragon) and Xue Long 2 voyaged north through the U.S. exclusive economic zone in the Bering Sea in July, as confirmed by the U.S. Coast Guard.
The presence of Chinese research ships in the Arctic Ocean during summers in recent years has raised concerns among security and defense authorities. Data gathered by Steffan Watkins, an independent research consultant and ship tracker, indicates that a Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 surveillance aircraft has been operational in Alaska since early July.
The Department of National Defence verified on Friday that the aircraft has been observing the activities of the two Chinese vessels in collaboration with the Americans. According to defence spokesperson Cheryl Forrest, “The Canadian Joint Operations Command is actively monitoring maritime traffic in the Arctic, including the vessels Xue Long and Xue Long 2.” Forrest added that both vessels are currently operating beyond Canada’s exclusive economic zone, an area where the country holds sovereign rights over resources and jurisdiction over activities such as research and marine environment protection.
Last year, the Canadian military initiated a focused initiative to enhance monitoring of northern waters and coordinate with allies in the Pacific, including the Bering Sea off Alaska, under Operation Latitude. The Royal Canadian Navy has deployed the frigate HMCS Ottawa, along with the Arctic offshore ships HMCS Max Bernays and HMCS Robert Hampton Gray, in addition to the air force’s surveillance aircraft. Canadian Special Operations Forces Command personnel and the icebreaker CCGS Des Groseilliers are also participating.
When asked about the Chinese ships, Defence Minister David McGuinty stated that the Canadian military actively surveils the country’s waters. China, self-declared as a near-Arctic state, has maintained that its icebreakers are solely used for peaceful scientific research, environmental monitoring, and global climate studies. Nevertheless, both research vessels have been reported to deploy advanced sonar and telemetry buoys, which Western defense officials believe are utilized for environmental monitoring and tracking submarine activities.
Richard Shimooka, a defense researcher at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute in Ottawa, highlighted the multifunctional capabilities of these research ships. He expressed curiosity about the extent of Chinese efforts to map the regional subsea network in the Bering Sea, similar to Russian activities in the Baltic Sea and the North Atlantic.
Shimooka emphasized Canada’s growing role in the western Pacific while acknowledging limitations due to the aging fleet of frigates and coast guard ships. Despite this, he underscored the importance of Canada’s contributions in the region.
Members of the House of Commons defense committee visited the Arctic in July and concluded that increased surveillance is necessary in the region. Conservative defense critic James Bezan emphasized the need for more assets in the Arctic to monitor China’s activities and highlighted the growing cooperation between China and Russia in the Arctic airspace.
The federal government has begun investing significantly in constructing new destroyers, acquiring Arctic-capable submarines, and deploying an undersea sensor network. Bezan stressed the urgency of bolstering Canada’s presence in the Arctic to safeguard national sovereignty, particularly in the face of challenges from Russia and China that do not recognize Canadian maritime claims in the Far North.