The last piece of privately owned land in the strategic Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic is up for grabs for 300 million euros ($326 million), spurring China-Norway tensions.

But why China?&nbsp; 
 
China's 2018 white paper on the region is seen as a sign of Beijing’s Arctic ambitions. Since then, the country has defined itself as a "near-Arctic state" and envisages to play a growing role in the strategically valuable geography of the region.&nbsp; 
 
The archipelago is located halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, in an Arctic region that has taken on greater geopolitical and economic importance over the years.&nbsp;

As the sea ice melts, new shipping routes open, increasing its strategic value, while relations grow ever frostier between Russia and the West.

Spanning 60 square kilometres (23 square miles), the Sore Fagerfjord property in southwestern Svalbard is home to mountains, plains, a glacier and nearly five kilometres of coastline, but no infrastructure.

"It's the last private land in Svalbard, and, to our knowledge, the last private land in the world's High Arctic," said lawyer Per Kyllingstad, who represents the sellers.

"The Chinese are naturally potential buyers since they've been showing a real interest in the Arctic and Svalbard for a long time," he said, adding that he had received "concrete signs of interest" from the country.

<h2>The 1920 Svalbard Treaty</h2>

Svalbard is governed by a 1920 international treaty that recognises Norway's sovereignty over it. However, citizens of all signatories, including China, are equally entitled to exploit the region's natural resources.&nbsp;

Russia, for example, has maintained a coal mining community on Svalbard, via the state-run company Trust Arktikugol, for decades. 
 
But times have changed.&nbsp;

<h2>Norway keen on protecting its sovereignty</h2>

Any mention of possible Chinese interest in Svalbard property raises "a red flag to force the Norwegian authorities to do something." 
 
Norway’s intelligence services say that the Sore Fagerfjord property falling into Chinese hands poses the biggest security risk to the Scandinavian country after Russia.

Norway's Attorney General has therefore ordered the owners-- a company controlled by a Russian-born Norwegian, according to local media -- to call off the planned sale.

The Norwegian state owns 99.5 per cent of Svalbard and has declared most of the land, including the Sore Fagerfjord property, protected areas where construction and motorised transport, among other things, are prohibited.

Nevertheless, the sellers cite the 1920 treaty. “They are obliged to treat all the parties to the treaty equally,” said Kyllingstad.

"The land can't be sold without the Norwegian authorities' approval," said Cecilie Myrseth, Trade and Industry Minister of Norway.&nbsp;

"Nor is it possible to hold negotiations about the property," she added.

That argument is based on clauses of an old loan granted by the state in 1919. However, Kyllingstad insists the clauses' statute of limitations has expired.&nbsp;

In 2016, the government paid 33.5 million euros to acquire the second-last piece of private land on Svalbard, near Longyearbyen, which was also reportedly being eyed by Chinese investors. Critics subsequently accused the government of being misled over unsubstantiated arguments.

In 2018-2019, the state had already engaged in negotiations to buy Sore Fagerfjord but the talks collapsed over the price.

Trade and Industry Minister Myrseth said the option was still open if the terms were "realistic".

While the sellers thought it fair to offer the land to the Norwegian government, they will ultimately sell to the highest bidder on the open market, said Kyllingstad.

(With inputs from agencies)

The last piece of privately owned land in the strategic Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic is up for grabs for 300 million euros ($326 million), spurring China-Norway tensions.

The last piece of privately owned land in the strategic Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic is up for grabs for 300 million euros ($326 million), spurring China-Norway tensions. But why China? China's 2018 white paper on the region is seen as a sign of Beijing’s Arctic ambitions. Since then, the country has defined itself as a "near-Arctic state" and envisages to play a growing role in the strategically valuable geography of the region. The archipelago is located halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, in an Arctic region that has taken on greater geopolitical and economic importance over the years. As the sea ice melts, new shipping routes open, increasing its strategic value, while relations grow ever frostier between Russia and the West. Spanning 60 square kilometres (23 square miles), the Sore Fagerfjord property in southwestern Svalbard is home to mountains, plains, a glacier and nearly five kilometres of coastline, but no infrastructure. "It's the last private land in Svalbard, and, to our knowledge, the last private land in the world's High Arctic," said lawyer Per Kyllingstad, who represents the sellers. "The Chinese are naturally potential buyers since they've been showing a real interest in the Arctic and Svalbard for a long time," he said, adding that he had received "concrete signs of interest" from the country. The 1920 Svalbard Treaty Svalbard is governed by a 1920 international treaty that recognises Norway's sovereignty over it. However, citizens of all signatories, including China, are equally entitled to exploit the region's natural resources. Russia, for example, has maintained a coal mining community on Svalbard, via the state-run company Trust Arktikugol, for decades. But times have changed. Norway keen on protecting its sovereignty Any mention of possible Chinese interest in Svalbard property raises "a red flag to force the Norwegian authorities to do something." Norway’s intelligence services say that the Sore Fagerfjord property falling into Chinese hands poses the biggest security risk to the Scandinavian country after Russia. Norway's Attorney General has therefore ordered the owners-- a company controlled by a Russian-born Norwegian, according to local media -- to call off the planned sale. The Norwegian state owns 99.5 per cent of Svalbard and has declared most of the land, including the Sore Fagerfjord property, protected areas where construction and motorised transport, among other things, are prohibited. Nevertheless, the sellers cite the 1920 treaty. “They are obliged to treat all the parties to the treaty equally,” said Kyllingstad. "The land can't be sold without the Norwegian authorities' approval," said Cecilie Myrseth, Trade and Industry Minister of Norway. "Nor is it possible to hold negotiations about the property," she added. That argument is based on clauses of an old loan granted by the state in 1919. However, Kyllingstad insists the clauses' statute of limitations has expired. In 2016, the government paid 33.5 million euros to acquire the second-last piece of private land on Svalbard, near Longyearbyen, which was also reportedly being eyed by Chinese investors. Critics subsequently accused the government of being misled over unsubstantiated arguments. In 2018-2019, the state had already engaged in negotiations to buy Sore Fagerfjord but the talks collapsed over the price. Trade and Industry Minister Myrseth said the option was still open if the terms were "realistic". While the sellers thought it fair to offer the land to the Norwegian government, they will ultimately sell to the highest bidder on the open market, said Kyllingstad. (With inputs from agencies)

Strategic land in Arctic archipelago up for sale, stirs up China-Norway tensions

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Putin visit China: Former US President Donald Trump says, 'Xi & Putin meeting to 'do damage''

After the&nbsp;meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the United States blasted&nbsp;Beijing saying that the country cannot have it "both ways".&nbsp;

Russia is actively seeking China's support amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and increasing Western sanctions. China has maintained a diplomatic stance that supports Russia, advocating against sanctions at international forums like the United Nations and encouraging a resolution to the conflict.

However, this support is balanced with China's desire to maintain economic ties with the West.

The remarks by the United States came in a press briefing held by State Department&nbsp;Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel on Thursday (May 16). He responded&nbsp;to a question on how the US sees comments by China where Xi Jinping agreed to a 'political solution' to Ukraine war and termed Russia-China ties as 'stabilising' for the world.&nbsp;

China "can't want to have good, further, stronger, deepened relationships with Europe and other countries while simultaneously continuing to fuel the biggest threat to European security in a long time," Patel said in his response adding, it "cannot have its cake and eat it too."&nbsp;

He said that the US position on this has been&nbsp;shared by G7, NATO partners, and partners in the EU.

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Speaking on China's alleged supply of weapons to Russia in its war against&nbsp;Ukraine despite warnings from the US, Patel said, "Fueling Russia’s defence industrial base, as the People’s Republic of China has, not only threatens Ukrainian security, it threatens European security, and Beijing can’t achieve better relations with Europe while also continuing to support something like that."

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"From our point of view, the solution is simple: The Russian Federation can just leave Ukraine. It can leave the territories that it’s in in Ukraine, it can leave Crimea, and we’ll have our peaceful solution. But time and time and time again, President Putin and the Russian Federation have indicated that they are not interested in doing that,"&nbsp;Patel further said.

<h2>'We don’t see anything new here'</h2>

While White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in her comments on Xi Jinping's meeting with Vladimir Putin&nbsp;in Beijing where both the leaders pledged to deepen their strategic partnership in a joint declaration, said, "Look, we don’t see anything new here."

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"We find it unacceptable that Chinese companies are helping Putin wage this war against Ukraine. &nbsp;We’ve been very clear about that. And if China purports to support peace in Europe, it cannot continue to fuel the biggest threat of the European security," she added.

(With inputs from agencies)

After the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the United States blasted Beijing saying that the country cannot have it "both ways".

After the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the United States blasted Beijing saying that the country cannot have it "both ways". Russia is actively seeking China's support amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and increasing Western sanctions. China has maintained a diplomatic stance that supports Russia, advocating against sanctions at international forums like the United Nations and encouraging a resolution to the conflict. However, this support is balanced with China's desire to maintain economic ties with the West. The remarks by the United States came in a press briefing held by State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel on Thursday (May 16). He responded to a question on how the US sees comments by China where Xi Jinping agreed to a 'political solution' to Ukraine war and termed Russia-China ties as 'stabilising' for the world. China "can't want to have good, further, stronger, deepened relationships with Europe and other countries while simultaneously continuing to fuel the biggest threat to European security in a long time," Patel said in his response adding, it "cannot have its cake and eat it too." He said that the US position on this has been shared by G7, NATO partners, and partners in the EU. Also Read | Indonesia: Boeing plane bound for Medina makes emergency landing after engine catches fire Speaking on China's alleged supply of weapons to Russia in its war against Ukraine despite warnings from the US, Patel said, "Fueling Russia’s defence industrial base, as the People’s Republic of China has, not only threatens Ukrainian security, it threatens European security, and Beijing can’t achieve better relations with Europe while also continuing to support something like that." Also Read | Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner signs lease deal with Serbia to overhaul army HQ bombed by NATO "From our point of view, the solution is simple: The Russian Federation can just leave Ukraine. It can leave the territories that it’s in in Ukraine, it can leave Crimea, and we’ll have our peaceful solution. But time and time and time again, President Putin and the Russian Federation have indicated that they are not interested in doing that," Patel further said. 'We don’t see anything new here' While White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in her comments on Xi Jinping's meeting with Vladimir Putin in Beijing where both the leaders pledged to deepen their strategic partnership in a joint declaration, said, "Look, we don’t see anything new here." Watch | Russia-Ukraine war: Zelensky admits situation 'extremely difficult' × "We find it unacceptable that Chinese companies are helping Putin wage this war against Ukraine. We’ve been very clear about that. And if China purports to support peace in Europe, it cannot continue to fuel the biggest threat of the European security," she added. (With inputs from agencies)

US blasts China after Putin-Xi meet, says 'you can't have it both ways'

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China has built the world's first dedicated drone carrier, but the circumstances surrounding it remain a mystery. According to a report by Naval News on Wednesday (May 15), the drone carrier is hidden on the Yangtze.

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China builds world's first dedicated drone carrier, but it's shrouded in mystery: Report

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Russia's President Vladimir Putin landed in Beijing on Thursday for a two-day state visit to China, in a show of unity between the authoritarian allies as Moscow presses forward with a new offensive in Ukraine. Watch in for more details!

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