(MENAFN- Asia Times)
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson noted in Washington, D.C. earlier this week that the US has fallen behind nations such as Russia and China in engaging the Arctic region and needs to catch up.
Tillerson reportedly acknowledged at an event at the Woodrow Wilson Center on Tuesday that the Arctic is becoming increasingly important from a geopolitical and economic standpoint.
"The Russians made it a strategic priority," Tillerson . "Even the Chinese are building icebreaking tankers."
Though China isn't an Arctic littoral state, he noted, "they see the value of these passages. So we're late to the game."
Tillerson pointed to the US's limited polar ice-breaking capability as a chief example of US weakness in the Arctic.
"I think we have one functioning icebreaker today. The Coast Guard's very proud of it … as crummy as it is," news website Arctic Now Tillerson as saying.
The Xue Long, a Chinese civilian icebreaker, China's first circumnavigation of the Arctic this summer.
The US Coast Guard has Congress for money to build six new icebreakers as part of forthcoming budget appropriations.
Must-reads from across Asia - directly to your inbox Comments
MENAFN0112201701590000ID1096175486
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.