China said on Thursday that its activities in the Arctic are aimed at promoting the region's peaceful, stable and sustainable development and are in accordance with international law, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said, according to The Cradle.

Mao Ning also said that using Cold War mentality to create factions and incite geopolitical confrontation does not help the region's development. The remarks answered European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas, who said the Arctic has become a front line of global power competition, and followed Brussels' presentation of a plan to expand Arctic surveillance and grow the European Union's icebreaker fleet.