Greenland says it turns to China if the United States and the EU avoids its mining industry

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The US and European mining companies have to rush and invest in Greenland, otherwise it will have to seek help elsewhere in utilizing their minerals, including China, the minister of the extensive Arctic has warned.

“We want to develop and diversify our business sector, and it requires investments from outside,” « Nathanielsen, Nathanielsen, Minister of Greenland’s corporate and mineral reserves, told the Financial Times.

Asked to turn to China, he replied,  » We want a partner with European and American partners. But if they don’t appear, I think we have to look elsewhere. “

Comments show Greenland’s desire to get Western help to expand its economy into mining and tourism. United Airlines has begun to fly from New York to the capital Nuuk next month.

Greenland There are large but unattainable deposits of minerals, including gold and copper, and is located in a geopolitically important area in the Arctic.

Nathanielsen said that understanding mineral development with the United States during the first presidency of Donald Trump was coming to an end and that Greenland failed to see if Washington want to renew it during the Biden administration.

Trump has repeatedly demanded The United States takes GreenlandDanish semi -autonomous area, possibly with power.

« In a way, we hoped that Trump’s administration would be willing to participate in dialogue with Greenland about the development of the mineral sector. We got a little more than asked because we did not want to be American, » he added.

Nathanielsen told FT that he found Trump’s threats to control Greenland « disrespectful and unpleasant ». His comments emphasize the growing anger that the Greenlanders knew Trump’s aggressive approach to the island of 57,000 people.

He said that despite Trump’s rhetoric, China’s interest in mining was only two Chinese mining companies in Greenland, but both are minority shareholders in passive projects. He speculates that Chinese investors may arrest because they do not want to « provoke anything ».

His comments come when the country received its first license under a new mining code for a Danish-French group anorthosite, a mineral used in the fiberglass industry.

The 150 million euro mining project in Western Greenland is to start construction immediately next year, according to Claus Stoltenborg, CEO of Greenland’s Anorthosite.

The company’s supporters include the Greenland State Pension Fund, the Danish Bank Arbejdernes Landsbank and the French mining group Jean Bollele.

There are only two activities in Greenland that produce gold and anorthosite, while production has not started from two mines that have received a mining license.

Nathanielsen said new four sides Coalition Board in Nuuk was « primarily committed to creating development for Greenland and Greenland ‘and would like to work with » ally and like -minded partners « .

But he added that it was « difficult to find our bottom » in Greenland in the changing nature of the Western alliance.

« We are trying to find out what the new world order looks like? In these terms, Chinese investments are, of course, problematic, but so there is an American, » he said. « Because (US investments) the purpose is to? »

The EU is a « good suitability » for Greenland because it had little need for minerals, Nathanielsen added and is in line with the environmental meter.