The Chinese research vessel Xue Long transits the United States’ exclusive economic zone and over the U.S.’s extended continental shelf in the Bering Sea in July 2026. U.S. COAST GUARD

(Note: U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) was officially renamed back to the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) on June 16–17, 2026.)

The Pacific Area’s Indo-Pacific Defense Forum reports,

The United States Coast Guard tracked four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) research vessels in international waters off Alaska in September 2026 amid indications that Beijing is increasing its Arctic presence. In 2025, five CCP ships conducted work in the region, according to U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Bob Little, who commands the service’s Arctic District.

“Where I have responsibility, interest and concern is when they are operating in and around U.S. sovereign space,” Little told the Reuters news agency during a visit to Oslo, Norway, to speak at an Arctic security conference. “So inside of our exclusive economic zones or over our extended continental shelf, we certainly have a security concern.”

These vessels may be doing mapping and research for the Chinese Navy but as long as they stay out of the 12 mile territorial sea while they are doing it, it is all quite legal, even if it is in the US EEZ or over the extended continental shelf. That is not likely to change since we want to do similar research just outside China and Russia’s territorial sea.

A concern might be if we have sensors or other infrastructure on the sea floor and they attempt to damage or tap into it. 

Over the long term, China argues that the Arctic Ocean and its high seas constitute a “global commons” and the common heritage of all mankind, rather than the exclusive domain of the eight Arctic Council nations. I don’t see the US disputing that as long as they recognize Exclusive Economic Zones and extended continental shelves, but as you can see below, that leaves relatively little unclaimed area and what there is can be difficult to access. (Claims to extended continental shelf, which would further restrict exploitation, are still largely unsettled.)

Arctic Exclusive Economic Zones (This does not include claims to extended continental shelf.)