The Arctic is no longer a frozen frontier of scientific research and melting ice. Once viewed as a geostrategic backwater, the region has become central to the ambitions of the world's most powerful states. From the United States' push for dominance through icebreaker fleets and military outposts, to Russia's aggressive remilitarisation and China's quiet economic inroads, the race for Arctic influence is heating up. Amid these shifting dynamics, an unexpected opportunity has emerged for the West. By strategically engaging China, the United States and Europe could fracture the fragile Moscow–Beijing alignment and contain Russian ambitions in the High North.