Greenland could turn to China for help if the US and EU refuse to invest in the mining sector and develop the island's mineral resources. This warning was issued by the Minister for Business, Trade, Mineral Resources, Justice and Gender Equality, Naaja Nathanielsen.
American and European mining companies must hurry up and invest in Greenland or they will have to look elsewhere for help to develop their mineral wealth, including China, she told the Financial Times (FT).
“We want to develop our business sector and diversify it, and for that we need foreign investment“, the head of the department noted. When asked about the possibility of approaching Beijing, Nathanielsen stressed that Greenland "seeks to cooperate with European and American partners". "But if they do not appear, I think we should look for something else", the minister added, noting that it is "difficult for autonomy to find support" in a changing Western alliance.
She recalled that the memorandum of understanding on the development of mineral resources with the United States, signed during the first presidency (2017-2021) of Donald Trump, is coming to an end. Greenland unsuccessfully tried to find out from the previous US administration whether Washington wanted to resume such cooperation. Nathanielsen called Trump's threats to take control of Greenland "disrespectful and unpleasant," drawing attention to growing anger among Greenlanders over the US leader's aggressive approach to the island of 57,000 people, the publication reports.
Earlier, the US leader did not rule out the use of military force to resolve the issue of Greenland, which, as Trump said, should join the United States. He threatened to impose high trade tariffs on Denmark if it did not give up the island. Already during his first presidential term, Trump proposed buying Greenland. As then, the Danish and Greenlandic authorities rejected the idea.
Greenland is part of Denmark as an autonomous territory. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen, in addition to their commitments to NATO, signed the Greenland Defense Treaty. In accordance with it, the United States undertook the obligation to defend the island from aggression. It houses the American space base Pitufik, which performs the tasks of a missile attack warning system and control of the Arctic zone.