It is my pleasure to introduce our keynote speaker. He is a distinguished fellow. 70th secretary of state. A great friend to the jennings people chinese people. Mr. Mike pompeo. Prior to historians service at the state department as a top diplomat, mr. Pompeo served as the director of the Central Intelligence agency. Before that he served four terms in congress. Before he started his Public Service, mr. Pompeo was a Business Leader in manufacturing, aviation and service industries. He graduated first in his class at west point 1986. And served in the u. S. Army patrolling the berlin wall. After the cold war was over, he graduated from Harvard Law School where he was an editor of the harvard law review. He worked as an attorney at williams and connelly immediately following harvard. Ladies and gentlemen, i give you mr. Secretary, mike pompeo. [applause] good morning everyone. Its great to be with you all, be with somebody remarkable distinguished scholars to talk about an important subject. My fantastic ambassadors who served alongside with me. When you were talking about surprisingly successful or raw or, [applause] [laughter] i think the entire Trump Administration. Most famously, the last time where he actually suggested if we spent less time that the war would be more successful. I wish we were spending more time drinking vodka and thats instead of causing was taking place in the south pacific. The threat that the Chinese Communist party has in asia. We have a campaign less than four weeks off. My team often reminded me, as did my ambassadors, that we needed to make sure that america in ways that it had before. This matters to americans. We dont take about ourselves who live in places such as kansas. This began before 18 6271 we purchased alaska. It was a general named Billy Mitchell as far back as 1935, alaska is the most strategic place on earth. It wasnt just its proximity that made it so. What this it was its prime location they gave it such a strategic significance. We all know that the offshore resources become the subject of renewed competition. It is now giving i was mocked for the speech i gave that day. I remember it well. I get over these things relatively easily, but i was mocked because i talked about the fact that whatever one thinks about climate change, you can see that this region is changing. New passageways, with them opportunities returning. Saying that there were opportunities as a result of what was happening. People predicted could cut the time shipment by weeks. The russians certainly know that. There chinese certainly know that as well. Shipping lanes that created seismic shifts. You should know Americas National security depends on this region. Must live through the arctic region. Our missile defense, whether they come from russia or china upload are deployed in greenland and alaska. The work, the potential of this place can only be realized, retain the right to engage peacefully. Contrary to all the nonsense put out the put out by the woke left, there are some of us still. We need the rule of law and best practices in this region. Arctic the competition must be fair. That means parties, reciprocal set of rules for opposites depends. Have to play by identical, very same set of rules. Those who violate the rules or disregard them for their own gain must forfeit their right to participate. Transparency should be the price for admission in the arctic. That lays out the challenge of the chinese party. It is act it is actively pursuing dominance. Its overarching strategy is to pursue areas defined as race, strategic laces were there is no government or control. Space, the moon. South china sea. Includes polar regions as well. When i went to the Arctic Council, the chinese wanted to purchase a paid as a socalled arctic neighbor. Do the math. At 900 miles. We dont think about that as a casual commute. There are eight companies countries. The Chinese Communist party lacks any legitimate claim to sovereignty even though important to its own Foreign Policy the idea of it being arctic nation. It is economic ambitions in this region. Military regions military ambitions are very clear. They want to build a polar silk road. The russia peninsula was the first major part of this logic. Chinese funding is the reason, much of our attention was focused in the west. More of our tension ought to be focused on the terminal. One month, china imported liquefied natural gas from russia. More than half of those shipments came from that terminal. Terminal in the arctic. Chinas arctic ambitions, this was its goal in trying to obtain a strategic foothold in greenland. It does not end with the economy in trade. Been trying to buy them in the a military base. 2016, try to move again. It should be deep concern to everyone in america today. Officials warned of heightened espionage there. Ccp has deep strategic mode tensions in the arctic. Where are the tools that america has and what should our priorities be respect this . We started this right. We did not complete it. We hosted military exercises with our partners. We built our icebreaker fleet. Created new senior military buzz for arctic affairs. Increased American Security and readiness in the arctic. I appreciate the fact that the Biden Administration to do so. There was when we left and remains today a great meal a great deal more to be done. America needs to step up. Even as the Arctic Council is suspended, we need to work with our parent thats our partners bilaterally. Our partners bilaterally. What are the things that are before. First, the ccp should never be permitted to be any part of any organization including the Arctic Council. It is trying to deliver outcomes for this special space. We kept it that way. I pray that the biting demonstration will do so and every ministration after it. China is seeking to create a new category of membership. We should never permit it to do so. We should ensure instead of new roles of not arctic nations from owning land and distracting and extracting resources dual use potential. We should of course band any military space presence in the arctic region or any nonarctic country. We know for sure that in a much larger sense, chinas influence elsewhere using multiple tools. We talked about the terminal. The ccp financed it. It uses economic power. Ive spoken here at this very podium before about the revisionist realignment which they attempt. This is a deep, grand conspiracy against russia, china and iran and other elements or freedom coming together to use or share resources in this very region. We cant permit that to happen. Allowing china to get the foothold and desires in the arctic camp empower it and russia. This will threaten our capacity to protect the American People and we may not, must not let that happen. We can leave in the arctic. We have done it before. Im confident we will do it again. Our National Security depends on it. Im happy to have a good conversation with you all. Come up and help me get it started. Ok. Im going to take this. Sure. Thank you very much for those wonderful remarks. First question, one of the members of the Arctic Council. Many years, russia and other countries in europe. How do you ensure will have a much greater per active participation in the Arctic Council . First, it has to be focused leadership and thats hard, right . When you are secretary of state, there are lots of challenges. You have to focus. It seems distance distant and far. Requires a team that is focused. You have to apply the resources by putting the right people in the right place and make sure they have access to leaders. Second, my experience with the Arctic Council is become in is that it had become a global gabfest. They wanted to talk about climate change. Everyone came together and we would draft a wonderful communique. Im happy to discuss all things relevant to keeping our clean air and drinking, but the National Security that is happening is something that you have to get the Arctic Council to focus on. We made progress. We did not get all the way. Hosted by largely european elites and they like to have conversations. These are hard issues. These are real matters. To not take the security implications of whats happening there is the first mistake. Great. When they think about security issue, their primary concern is russia. Russia, obviously, is much closer to europe. Russia has this dubious history, past aggression. The United States has shifted its Strategic Focus away from europe. We say china is number one on secure agenda. How do we convince countries to go along with america . How do we convince those countries and say, china poses a greater threat . Two of the Council Members are nato members. We know where the russian Navy Launches most of its submarine fleet. These are, make no mistake. I think, if you are asking how we make this argument i think the facts and what they can plainly see are real. Quite rightly, that is their priority, but when you thing about Global Energy that will have resulted, as a direct result the challenge of the Chinese CommunistParty Presents as most of the gas will go east not west, think you will see an awareness. Thats a great point. Also want to add in terms of capabilities china is probably far more capable of simply because chinese economy alone is more that then russias. China spends a lot more money on some of these new front we talk about. Russia is lagging behind. All those areas of new platforms of modern warfare. What about the issue of, in essence that you have many sovereign countries there . They also have their disputes. Sometimes, the disputes go into russia and other regional countries, tend to obscure the larger purpose. Something much more to share in common by these countries. This Group Provides opportunities to go in and try to divide and conquer. Is there any thought on that . Yeah, i think thats true. As time went on, commonality would exceed the differences. They can feel it. I talked about climate and military. In between that his trade. That was a place they all had come to see, the opportunity to move. Something that they were very focused on. Begin to think about what would that mean. I mentioned briefly the icebreaker fleet problem. The complexity, it all sounds simple. Lets go build some icebreakers. The complexity around it is staggering. We have an absence of industrial, something that we worked on diligently. We had to figure out together how to have a more robust, more capable, more reliable base to build to move things commercial and things strategic and military. That begins with being able to crack eyes. Crack ice. Do you have any questions from the audience . That would be great. Thank you very much for your remarks. If youre going to talk about an article being amazing, you should have a mic. Amazing wall street journal piece on taiwan and the dangers getting involved with china and sometimes i think its hard to get americans to deal with the china issue simple because its coming from so many different directions. And in ways that are not just simply at a, military way which you think about competition during world war ii or during the cold war, but rather in very subtle ways including reshaping the dialogue and the narratives with which we deal with issues like climate change, for example. What constitutes scientific research. Whether you are talking about the arctic or the antarctic. At the same time, i think we are looking ahead to an Arctic Council which is going to be dominated by members of nato with the addition of finland and sweden. We are talking about trying to get the Arctic Council to pivot away from purely Environmental Issues toward more strategic and defenserelated issues. Having a strong nato engagement with the Arctic Council can be a means with which to advance that strategy . That group, when brought together, will focus on Strategic Issues more broadly than it has for the last years time. I think that does increase the chances because nato has always been that secure and the fact the you now have significantly higher percentage i think makes it more likely and thats a good outcome. Thank you. Thank you for an interesting speech. I have two quick questions. Im lisa, Hudson Institute and institute for defense studies in norway. I want to ask about china. Would you argue that they are planning to get direct military presence in the arctic . Or do they rather work with russia sharing, providing them with digital competences and getting them financed so that they have more than in direct role in strengthening russias presence and creating strategic dilemmas through russia . Second, do you think is a need for natos strategy on the arctic . Or is nato fine working in the arctic question without a strategy . You should never work without a strategy. [laughter] ive done that. It is poorly. Ambassador hutchison, we were trying to convince nato that it had an Important Role in addition to its traditional role. Europe is impacting nato. All kinds of different tools, and to goldenbergs credit, he begun to important ways so i applaud him for that. Im not sure where his focus is today, but im sure he has not forgotten strategic challenge. The first question is how will china and russia approach this . I dont think theres any chance that china is going to do much independently. I think these two are locked in. The visit between xi jiping and vladimir putin, the first trip in three years out of china to go meet Vladimir Putins deeply telling. They will be isolated in ways that i dont think they yet appreciate. I think the arctic will be another place where we will find the two of them working together, whether that is using the existing russian facilities in the arctic to enhance chinese training the capability, or they will go find of the places, ways and means by which they can exert their security work, military work together. I dont be there would be a choice between the two. I think you will be all of the above. I am confidence military capable of extending its power and, whether its an asset that they own or share with the russians themselves. Question over there. Thank you. Good morning, mr. Secretary. Thank you miles for having us. I work at politico. Recent weeks, your ongoing video series on youtube focused on the arctic. Up to the casual observer, this looks like the centerpiece for potential Foreign Policy plan. I wonder whether you could speak to your ambition. [laughter] ive got the second one. This is something that matters to the United States of america. Ive been working on with many of the team members. I cannot answer the question about what i will be doing other than to say my effort to protect the United States on the Chinese Communist party is something that i will work on into the day that the good lord takes me. Thank you. General secretary, what you see is the outlook of the u. S. China relations . Xi jiping has made it very clear that he wants to rule forever and that his rule should be over everything. I think we should take that seriously. A nation with incredible wealth. As i said, a remarkable people. We should do everything we can to make sure that we demand the Chinese Communist party behave. I dont think xi jiping has any intention on doing that so we can look for this confrontation to increase. Not because america wanted to increase, not because we are asking any of the nation to choose, but the rule of law matters. Enforce contracts matter. Sufficiently transparent. These things matter to every family all across the United States of america. We have a responsibility to get things right. One more question. Thank you. Im luke, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. Seven out of eight in nato and with new geopolitical route reality with russia which means Arctic Council corporation and any practical means will have stopped and not be operating in the foreseeable future, is it time that maybe we work with our likeminded allies and create a new structure . I dont like new flags and headquarters, but maybe we need a new format of cooperation that can do the full range from security, oil spill cleanup, search and rescue, environmental concerns. What do you think about that . Really important question. Some of that happens today informally. We build up these different organizations and we give them names. We worked hard on the quad. I dont know. Thats probably bad latin. Someone correct me. Or greek. We have seven nations, arctic nations who share a common set of values. A council who does not share our understanding of human dignity. The level of formality, meetings and the like. I understand their willingness to apply resources against the problems. I think you are going to see a capacity to increase daily. If there is one thing that i think the Trump Administration took really well with respect to the communist party, we unmasked one year of failed naivete. I will be generous. That is the kindest way i can explain what we did for one decade. I think the world can now see that. We are all trying to figure out how to structure ourselves in a way to respond to that in a way that reflects our histories and our understandings of the world. Im convinced were going to do it. Nato nations working together, and ways that down to the benefit up benefit of those of us who enjoy sovereignty and basic decency. So i appreciate that question. Its important. I hope im right about that. The last question. That was designed strategically. When china started to act and march into areas of great concern, not just concern of the arctic countries but also the most chinas neighbors were concerned about this. Japan and south korea, they were also very eager to be part of the narrative. How do we ensure that we can work with our friends and allies . Im not sure i know the answer to that question. I do think its important, they can all see it. I was with the minister of defense. We spoke about this very issue. Our issue reinforces the point. I dont know what the right form is, but weve all got to think about that. Natural passage, have a very Strong Demand for shipping. 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