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China’s 2018 white paper on the Arctic stressed the importance of international maritime law, respect for existing Arctic treaties and commitment to global environmental laws, but the Nordic report said caution was still needed.
“All Arctic states agree that the UN Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is the legal framework within which states should solve legal disputes regarding ocean governance,” the report said.
“In the South China Sea, China makes maritime claims which contradict UNCLOS, although ratified by China. Such actions must be kept out of the Arctic.”
The report was ordered by the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs on behalf of the Nordic Foreign Ministers in 2019. It was done by former Icelandic government minister Bjorn Bjarnason. His mandate was to develop a series of joint recommendations to the Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland) on global climate change, hybrid threats and cyber issues and strengthening and reforming multilateralism and the rules-based international order.
Hybrid threats: Nordics up against “more determined and sophisticated adversaries”
The report also made recommendations on cyber-attacks and disinformation/influence operations, describing them as a “serious and increasing challenge to the Nordic countries.”
The range of methods used varies, with the report describing examples from around the world including influencing information; meddling in elections; intellectual property theft; exploiting logistical weaknesses like energy supply pipelines; economic and trade-related blackmail; undermining international institutions by rendering rules ineffective; terrorism or increasing the sense of insecurity; threatening civilian air traffic, maritime communications, energy cables and causing maritime incidents.
Characterizing China as conducting “lower key hybrid operations than Russia,” the report said caution was still needed and recommended the development of a common Nordic situation awareness to better understand the collective threat, as well as the individual threat to each country.
“…this would create the necessary ground for common deterrence strategies as well as the means for national security services to effectively respond to hybrid aggressions, thus moving beyond resilience and deterrence and instead disrupting or preventing the aggressor from taking further hybrid action,” the document said.
“The ideas of greater collaboration on investment screening through an increased exchange of information and a Nordic Cyber Security Stamp are also to be considered in this context.”
Climate change
The report outlined the common challenges Nordic countries are facing from global temperature change, including increased ocean acidification, marine traffic and biodiversity changes; as well as opportunities such as increased access to resources and tourism.
Chinese tourists in Reykjavik. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
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