In August, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper embarked on a five-day tour to the Arctic, a trip that has become an annual event to demonstrate Canada's sovereignty in the far north.

On the first day of the tour, Harper stressed that the priority of Canada's northern strategy was the protection of Arctic sovereignty. Later, he went to Nunavut to observe a military drill called Operation Nanook. Since 2003, Canada has held a string of military drills in the Arctic.

Of all the Arctic coastal countries, Canada was the first to claim the Arctic, regarding the region as its "backyard." In recent years, as the area has become more valuable for economic and military interests, Canada began to expand its presence there. In 2007, after Russia dropped a flag to the ocean bottom of the North Pole, Canada took a series of actions – building a military training base and deepwater port, purchasing new patrol boats and establishing a cutting-edge Arctic research center – to protect its interests there.

During the tour, Harper said that to enhance Canada's control over the Arctic region, the government will upgrade investment on national defense, equip soldiers with state-of-the-art devices and launch three remote-sensing satellites in 2014 and 2015 to offer the army high-definition, real-time pictures of the area. His words show the strong will of Canada to dominate the region.

With a vast territory of almost 10 million square kilometers, why is Canada so obsessed with the Arctic?

First of all, the Arctic has abundant natural resources. It is estimated that it holds 9 percent of the world's coal reserves and 25 percent of the world's crude oil. It also has rich mineral resources, such as diamond, gold and uranium, and ample fishing stocks. When the world is suffering from a widespread energy crisis, the Arctic is a treasure bowl that Canada does not want to lose of.

Next, the Arctic is important in the military field. Currently, all global powers are located in the northern hemisphere just a short distance to the North Pole. This makes the region the most strategic place to launch a ballistic missile. The special landscape of the polar region makes it easy to hide nuclear submarines. These factors combine to pose a great challenge to the defense of countries neighboring the Arctic.

Third, every summer when the ice melts, the famous Northwest Passage, a sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, will be fully navigable. There will be no need for European vessels to detour to the Panama Canal to reach Asia. The costs on transportation and time will be significantly reduced. It is estimated that every year, the passage saves the global shipping business billions of dollars.

Meanwhile, other countries, such as Russia, the U.S., Denmark and Norway, have also shown interest and a desire to control the region. Conflicts with other countries, especially Russia, have become more frequent, though they are usually resolved through diplomatic meetings and international law.

The author is a researcher at China Institute of International Studies.

(This article was translated by Chen Xia.)