Stories from the New Silk Road: The Bering Sea

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In 1867, the US government bought Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million dollars. At the time, critics questioned the value of purchasing such an inhospitable and remote territory. Yet today, due to its abundance of natural resources, America’s largest state has proved to be a significant investment. BBC foreign correspondent Anna Holligan travels to Alaska to report on the increasing China-Russia-US tension in the region. Supported by Russia, through fishing, shipping and military exercises, China has a growing presence in the Bering Sea, which separates mainland Russia from the US by 55 miles at its narrowest point. As Anna visits the largest Coast Guard base in the world on Alaska’s Kodiak Island, she asks why is China seeking to expand their influence in one of the most dangerous and volatile seas in the world? What does it mean for local communities living and working in America’s ‘Last Frontier’? Is this remote corner of the US becoming a new frontline in an economic and political battle involving three superpowers? Presenter: Anna Holligan Producer: Peter Shevlin Editor: Monica Whitlock A Pod60 production for BBC World Service (Photo: Lieutenant commander Jonathon R. Resch USCG Arctic District. Credit: Anna Holligan)