China is still poking and prodding. In the latest, we see the United States Coast Guard warning us that Chinese “research vessels” are nosing around in the U.S. Arctic. 

Research, indeed.

The Coast Guard warned of “increased Chinese research vessel activity” in the U.S. Arctic as it responded to multiple vessels in the region.  

The agency said it recently “detected and responded to two Chinese research vessels operating in the U.S. Arctic and is currently monitoring a total of five similar vessels in or near the U.S Arctic.”

“On August 5, a C-130J Hercules fixed wing aircraft from Air Station Kodiak responded to the Chinese research vessels Ji Di and the Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di.  Both vessels were transiting northeast in the Bering Sea,” the Coast Guard said. 

“On August 6, the crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL 751) again responded to the Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di as it was transiting north in the Chukchi Sea above the Arctic Circle, after passing through the Bering Strait,” they added.

Now, part of this is the old Cold War “freedom of navigation exercise” game, that we’ve been playing since World War 2 – with China, with the Soviet Union/Russia, with Cuba, with North Korea, with pretty much every Communist regime that has any ocean frontage. It’s a way of thumbing our nose at them and they at us, without the necessity of actually having to go to war.

But it’s a safe bet there’s more to it with these Chinese “research” vessels. It’s more than likely that what they are doing isn’t research – it’s reconnaissance.

The Coast Guard released a photo of the Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di as taken from the C-130J Hercules. They noted that the aircraft and Waesche were “patrolling under Operation Frontier Sentinel, an operation that responds to adversaries operating in and around Alaskan and U.S. Arctic waters.” 

“In July, Coast Guard Arctic District deployed a C-130J Hercules fixed wing aircraft from Air Station Kodiak to query the Xue Long 2, another Chinese research vessel, approximately 290 nautical miles north of Utqiagvik, Alaska,” the Coast Guard also said. 

The sightings of the Chinese ships are part of a “three-year trend of increased activity” in the region, according to officials.

They could be up to a number of things, aside from some badly-needed practice in ship-handling.