China’s Threat to Canada’s Hold on Arctic ‘More Immediate’ Than Defence Chief Warns, Expert Says
China will challenge Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic region sooner than Chief of the Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre previously warned, an expert told MPs in testimony before a House committee.
Robert Huebert, associate professor at the University of Calgary, told the Standing Committee on Natioanl Defence on Oct. 25 that he believes China is ramping up its military capabilities and seeking to bring nuclear submarines into the Arctic region to vie for control. The timeline for China to challenge Canada will be sooner than the 20 years that Eyre predicted at the committee’s previous meeting on Oct. 18, Huebert said.
“The time periods are so short, which means the problem is not 20 years. [The Chinese] are doing the capabilities studies right now,” he said, adding that a more specific schedule will depend on when Beijing decides to launch a military incursion into Taiwan….