China and the Arctic

[politicus]

China seems determined to become a major player in the Arctic.

See for example http://www.thenational.ae/business/energy/china-hunting-for-energy-resources-in-the-arctic

How should the countries that actually have an Arctic coastline react to this?
Personally I would like to keep them out as far as possible since they have no legitimate claim to any share of the resources in the region.

Is it realistic to keep the Chinese out? Or should they be accommodated in some way? Maybe even allowed to join the Arctic Council.

Should the US cooperate with the three other Western Arctic nations Canada, Norway and Denmark (Greenland) or act unilaterally in this region?

[True Federalist]

This isn't the Spratleys.  China isn't making any territorial claims in the Arctic, just investing. It might lead to some tensions, particularly if Russia pulls the sort of BS it has done in the past if a foreign oil concession happens to have more oil than it thought it did when they let the Western oil company suckers invest. However, there certainly is no basis for unilateral action.

[politicus]

This isn't the Spratleys.  China isn't making any territorial claims in the Arctic, just investing.

Nah, thats true. But Chinese conglomerates are closely connected to the state, even if they are not owned by it. So "private" investments are not as innocent as it may sound, and their enviromental record is pretty horrible - which could lead to a disaster in that part of the world. The arctic countries could try to keep outsiders out of this fragile area and at the same time secure its resources for their own benefit.

[Beet]

All conglomerates are closely connected to the state to varying degrees. The US & Britain didn't install the Shah of Iran for nothing.

No country has a perfect environmental record for drilling. Recently it was a Western company that caused a spill in China.

China has a natural interest in all areas where there will be energy deposits, and Chinese investments in any areas already under the sovereign domain of another country will naturally go through the authorities of that country and some arrangement will be made that is jointly beneficial to the host country.