US Monitors Chinese Vessels Amid Heightened Activity in the Arctic

The U.S. Coast Guard initiated an operation that positions the agency to swiftly respond to any ‘malign activity.’

A crew member assigned to the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Munro observes the oil tanker Bella 1 in the North Atlantic Ocean on Jan. 6, 2026. Courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard

Two Chinese research ships transited the Arctic through the U.S. exclusive economic zone, with the U.S. Coast Guard monitoring the passage of these vessels.

This was the “first time this year that Chinese vessels were tracked transiting this area,” the Department of War said in a July 20 statement.

The vessels, Xue Long and Xue Long 2, moved north of the economic zone and over the U.S. extended continental shelf in the Bering Sea, which separates Russia from Alaska. U.S. Coast Guard cutter Munro executed Operation Frontier Sentinel to “actively monitor” the movements of the ships, the department said.

The operation is designed to protect America’s sovereign rights and position the U.S. Coast Guard to quickly respond to any identified “malign activity.”

The U.S. Coast Guard seeks to ensure that foreign ships operating in the exclusive economic zone and the extended continental shelf are in compliance with international rules. Specifically, vessels seeking to conduct research in the region are required to obtain permission from the United States before engaging in such activities. The research vessels must also share their findings with Washington.

The department said there has been “heightened activity” in the U.S. Arctic over the past years, which is expected to increase this summer season.

“Alongside the Department of War, the Department of State, and our international partners, we are actively responding to competitor activities across an increasingly contested Arctic,” Rear Adm. Bob Little, U.S. Coast Guard Arctic District commander, said in the statement.

China claims to be a near-Arctic state and has expressed interest in accessing the abundant natural resources of the Arctic Ocean, such as rare earths, natural gas, and oil.

Last year, there was an “unprecedented number” of Chinese research and military vessels operating in or near the U.S. Arctic waters, according to a November 2025 report from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

DHS warned that China’s continued expansion of its icebreaking fleet posed a potential challenge to America’s maritime sovereignty.

According to a July 2025 report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the United States had three polar icebreakers at the time, fewer than the four icebreakers owned by China, which is not located in the Arctic region.

“[China is] likely to continue outpacing the United States’ sluggish icebreaker construction effort. This constitutes a giant spotlight on the U.S. national security risk in the Arctic,” the report warned.

In December 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard awarded two contracts to construct up to six Arctic Security Cutter (ASC) icebreakers, which the agency said would help in countering the presence of adversaries in the region.

Earlier this month, DHS said the U.S. Coast Guard announced the finalization of the two contracts, with all six vessels scheduled to be delivered by 2031.

Controlling the Arctic

In an interview with The Epoch Times in January, Juan Carlos Lascurain-Grosvenor, CEO of Grosvenor Square Consulting Group, said that if Russia or China sets the rules in the Arctic, the macroeconomic consequences could be negative and long-lasting.

“Russia has already demonstrated that it treats energy, logistics, and geography as political weapons. China uses infrastructure control and financing dependency to lock in influence over decades,” Grosvenor said.

“Neither model produces efficient markets, transparent pricing, or legal certainty, all of which global trade and capital markets require.”

Gaining an upper hand on the expanding trade routes in the Arctic could provide far-reaching benefits for the United States, according to Grosvenor.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has been pushing for the United States to acquire Greenland, pointing to increasing Chinese and Russian activity in the waterways in the High North, which encompasses the Arctic regions of Norway, Canada, Russia, Greenland, and Alaska.

Bringing Greenland under its control would allow the United States to expand its Golden Dome missile system to cover the Arctic Circle, according to Trump.

During the NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7, Trump renewed calls for U.S. acquisition of Greenland.

John Haughey and Autumn Spredemann contributed to this report.