BEIJING, October 22. /TASS/. Taking sides and attempts to stoke geopolitical rivalry in the Arctic do not contribute to peaceful development in the region, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said at a news briefing on Thursday.

"The taking of sides in the spirit of the Cold War and the fueling of geopolitical confrontation does not contribute to a peaceful and steady development of the Arctic region," the Chinese diplomat argued, commenting on the EU’s new strategy for the Arctic and statements from the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas saying that the EU is going to counter Russia and China in the region.

On Tuesday, the European Commission (EC) unveiled its new Arctic strategy focused on military construction for the first time in more than 30 years. A separate provision in the revamped strategy focuses on developing shipping routes in the Arctic and "protecting northern maritime borders."

Although the EU’s executive arm did not mention the Northern Sea Route in the document, one day before the publication Kallas announced EU plans to challenge Russia’s control of the route and seek unrestricted access to it in an interview with The Times. The bloc’s diplomacy chief said the West "must stop Russia and China" from moving toward dominance in the region.