- [Instructor] This map shows the amount of ice

around the North pole decreasing rapidly over the years.

And as the sea ice steadily melts in the Arctic,

the U.S., China, and Russia are stepping up their game

in the remote and inhospitable region

that's rich in resources

and growing in strategic importance.

(speaking in foreign language)

- There are other people coming into the Arctic

and we don't like it.

(speaking in foreign language)

- It's an untapped area of mineral resources

that China would like to explore one day.

- Russia has moved quite quickly in the last two years

to really boost its military presence in the Arctic.

- Greenland allows for trans navigation

from Europe to the United States.

It provides a place where you can refuel ships,

refuel planes, have storage spaces.

- [Instructor] An estimated trillion dollars

worth of rare earth metals could be lying

under all that ice,

as well as about 30% of the world's undiscovered gas

and 13% of the world's undiscovered oil.

The warmer Arctic is also extending the season

when ships can navigate in these usually ice covered waters,

potentially reducing navigation time

between Shanghai and New York,

by as much as seven days

and making tourism and cargo shipment more attractive.

(mortar firing)

All this is setting the stage for potential clashes.

Almost 10% of Russia's GDP and 20% of its exports

come from north of the Arctic circle.

And Moscow says it's ready to defend its territory.

- The military infrastructure has really been successfully

increased in the last several years.

(airplane engine jets roaring)

One of Russia's most northern base

can now handle jet fighters.

And that's a huge jump from where it was a couple years ago.

- [Instructor] And this activity

hasn't gone unnoticed in Washington.

- Russia's unique, it actually deserves special attention.

- Any signs that Russia is trying to reclaim its status

as a great power on the global stage.

And especially in a place like the Arctic,

which has disputes, is a cause for worry of Washington.

I think largely because of that lack of trust.

- [Instructor] Russia is also investing

to renovate old Soviet ports

along its Northern sea route.

Cargo shipments, mainly of energy resources

are steadily growing,

but with little infrastructure

and given the still limited period of time

between July and November

that the route in the Arctic is open,

there's still a long way before

it becomes a real rival to traditional shipping routes

like via the Suez canal.

- Right now there's a relatively large gap

between what Russia wants to accomplish in the Arctic

but it is actually doing.

One of the biggest problems right now is infrastructure.

So it wants to attract it's international investors.

That includes China.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Instructor] In 2018, China declared itself

a near Arctic state,

even though the northern most part of China

is more than 900 miles away from the Arctic circle.

Basically China plans to carve out shipping routes

and tap natural resources.

- When China announced a similar strategy,

Russia at least verbally welcomed it,

but there are still a lot of reservation.

(shouting in foreign language)

- [Instructor] Western capital and technology

in the country dried up

following versus annexation of Crimea in 2014.

So Moscow has accepted billions of dollars from Beijing

in loans and investments,

including for the landmark gas project

on the Yamal Peninsula.

But China's investments are mostly limited to projects

that can help it exploit resources.

- China doesn't want to just invest

for the sake of investing

'cause it wants to actually see a profit come from that.

- [Instructor] There's another sticking point

between Russia and China and the Arctic.

- Russia would want its own icebreakers to accompany

most of the vessels.

China on the other hand would like fewer navigation

where China would need to rely on Russian escorts.

And so that's the fundamental, is agreements.

- Essentially it's large real estate deal.

Lot of things could be done.

- [Instructor] Most of the world woke up

to the U.S. interest in the Arctic

when president Trump floated the idea of buying Greenland,

the biggest Island in the region,

and which is the site

of America's northernmost military base.

Denmark, which exercises control over Greenland

turned down the idea.

So after a decades long hiatus,

the U.S. reopened its consulate

in Greenland's capital in June.

During an interview

with the Danish Broadcasting Corporation,

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

admitted that the U.S. is playing catch up.

- Secretary, are you a bit late to the party

in the Arctic. - Yep we're a little late.

- Yeah-- - But that's all right

I've been late to parties before and had a great time.

We'll succeed.

- The United States, for instance,

has a presence in the Arctic with newly launched Navy fleet

that's just a continuation of making sure that

that other great powers know that the U.S.

isn't losing a step

and is able to fight in extreme cold weather battlefields.

- We've all been a little bit naive

to watch, not only the Russians

but the Chinese interest there

continue to become more and more aggressive.

(audience applauds)

- [Instructor] China and Russia insist

that they support peaceful economic

and scientific cooperation in the region.

Meanwhile, Washington is trying to

build up its fleet of icebreakers.

- We have under construction right now,

the largest icebreaker in the world,

and we're going to be trying to get, if we can,

an extra 10 ice icebreakers.

- [Instructor] At the moment,

the U.S. has only one old heavy icebreaker in operation

compared with Russia, some 40 vessels,

including nuclear ones that can smash through ice

nine feet thick.

China has two icebreakers as well,

and it's building a nuclear one.

- Ice breakers do a number of things

for a country that has that has them.

One it keeps open commercial ice channels

and allows for the rescue of vessels.

If the U.S. is unable to send up a rescue team,

other great powers like Russia,

and even China can go up there, save people

and they'll have a better claim

to be able to stay in the Arctic.

- [Instructor] For the U.S., China, and Russia,

it's a pivotal moment in the Arctic.

The moves they make today are likely to define the region

for years to come and potentially help reshape

global supply chains and energy markets.