China’s Threat to Canada’s Hold on Arctic ‘More Immediate’ Than Defence Chief Warns, Expert Says

China’s Threat to Canada’s Hold on Arctic ‘More Immediate’ Than Defence Chief Warns, Expert Says
A Canadian Coast Guard helicopter makes an approach to land at the military camp on Baffin Island on Aug. 26, 2014. Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
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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 on Oct. 25.

Robert Huebert, associate professor at the University of Calgary, told the Standing Committee on National Defence 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.