UK opens military base in northern Norway

UK opens military base in northern Norway
by AFP Staff Writers
London (AFP) March 8, 2023

The UK on Wednesday announced the opening of a military base in the far north of Norway to strengthen NATO's capabilities in the Arctic amid concerns following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The newly established Norwegian site, called Camp Viking, will serve as a hub for Royal Marines Commandos, said Britain's Royal Navy.

It described the troops as "the tip of the Arctic spear" and "the unit the UK turns to when it needs troops able to fight in cold weather extremes.

"A new Arctic operations base will support Britain's commandos for the next 10 years as the UK underscores its commitment to security in the High North," the statement added.

Norway, which borders Russia, refuses to host permanent bases for foreign soldiers, so Camp Viking is due to remain open for just a decade.

The purpose-built base, located around 40 miles (65 kilometres) south of Tromso, will be able to accommodate all personnel from the elite commando-led Royal Marines force which reacts to emerging crises in Europe.

"The camp's location is ideal for deterring threats in the region and situated so the UK can respond rapidly if needed to protect NATO's northern flank and its close ally, Norway," the navy statement said.

Around a thousand commandos have deployed to the base this winter.

In a comment to AFP, Norway's defence ministry said the facility had previously been used by NATO allies and then Dutch Marines.

"The camp is Norwegian and financed through Norwegian infrastructure and operational funds," a ministry spokeswoman said.

A founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Norway regularly hosts allied troops for combat training in extreme cold.

The Nordic country, which shares a 123-mile (198-kilometre) border with Russia, has provided Ukraine with a wide range of military equipment, including artillery and ammunition.

The Ukraine conflict prompted its eastern neighbours Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership in May 2022, turning the page on policies of military non-alignment in force for decades.

No love lost: a summary of US-China tensions
Paris (AFP) March 9, 2023 - The United States and China, already at loggerheads over multiple issues from Taiwan to semi-conductors, have seen relations nosedive since Washington shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that overflew the US.

Here's a rundown of their disputes:

- 'Spy' balloon -

Beijing insists that the balloon, shot down on February 4, 2023, after spending a week flying over the US and Canada, was an errant weather surveillance device. It accused the US of sending its own balloons over China, which Washington denied.

The incident led Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a visit to Beijing that had been billed as a chance to patch up relations.

- Taiwan -

Beijing has been incensed by US President Joe Biden's defense of self-ruled Taiwan -- especially after he said, first in October 2021, that Washington would defend the island militarily if attacked by China.

In 2022 he rowed back, saying Washington maintained its "One China" policy.

Tensions spiked anew in August 2022 after then House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.

Beijing carried out unprecedented military exercises around the island in response.

- Ukraine and North Korea -

Beijing, which claims a policy of neutrality in world affairs, has rejected US calls for it to publicly denounce its ally Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

In February, Blinken accused Beijing of considering arming Russia. Beijing dismissed the claim as "false."

Washington also wants China to rein in North Korea, fearing the reclusive state will soon conduct its seventh nuclear test.

Both Russia and China, North Korea's longtime ally and economic benefactor, have vetoed Washington's calls for stronger UN sanctions on Pyongyang.

- Covid origins -

The question of where the Covid-19 pandemic originated has been the subject of a war of words between Washington and Beijing since the virus first appeared in China in early 2020.

Former US president Donald Trump alleged that the virus was accidentally leaked from a lab in Wuhan, a theory reiterated in February 2023 by FBI head Christopher Wray.

Beijing has strenuously denied the allegation.

Biden, while more measured than Trump, has accused Beijing of hiding important information about Covid's origins.

- Chip war -

The world's first (US) and second-largest (China) economies are locked in a fierce battle for control of the semi-conductor market.

Taiwan accounts for nearly 50 percent of the world's production of chips used in everyting from smartphones and cars to missiles.

Washington has taken steps to limit China's ability to buy and manufacture high-end chips with military applications,

China has taken the US to the World Trade Organization over the restrictions.

- Uyghurs -

Washington in 2021 declared that China's crackdown on the Uyghur minority in the north-western region of Xinjiang amounts to "genocide", a charge rejected by Beijing.

Beijing is accused by rights groups of having detained over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in camps.

In June 2022, the United States banned most imports from Xinjiang, to punish Beijing for what rights groups say is forced labour in the camps. Beijing denies the allegations.

- South China Sea -

Washington and Beijing are also at odds over the resource-rich South China Sea.

Beijing claims sovereignty over nearly all of the sea but the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei say they also own parts of it.

Beijing has ignored an international court ruling which found its claims have no legal basis.

- Hong Kong -

In January 2023, Biden ordered a two-year extension of a programme allowing Hong Kong residents in the United States to stay beyond the expiry of their visas.

Biden laid out what he described as the Chinese government's "assault on Hong Kong's autonomy" and its undermining of the territory's democratic institutions.