If US, Europe Don’t Move on Greenland’s Minerals, the Island Could Partner With China: Minister; Greenland Urges US, Europe to Invest In Its Critical Minerals, or China Will

If US, Europe Don’t Move on Greenland’s Minerals, the Island Could Partner With China: Minister

The U.S. State Department does not confirm whether agreement on minerals will be extended.

A Greenlandic official has raised the stakes in the contest for its minerals, suggesting that the Danish territory could turn to China if the United States and Europe do not move fast enough.

Greenland’s minister for mineral resources, Naaja Nathanielsen, hinted at that possibility in an interview with the Financial Times published on May 27.

“We want to develop our business sector and diversify it, and that requires investments from outside,” said Nathanielsen, whose four-party coalition government came into power following a March election.

When prompted about China, she said that Greenland seeks “to partner up with European and American partners.”

“But if they don’t show up, I think we need to look elsewhere,” she stated.

Neither Nathanielsen’s ministry nor Denmark’s foreign ministry responded to requests for comment from The Epoch Times by publication time.

Greenland has zinc, gold, copper, and many other minerals, including an estimated 1.5 million tons of rare earth resources.

President Donald Trump previously cited those critical minerals to explain his interest in acquiring the world’s largest island.

China, which presently dominates global rare earth mining and processing, has also sought to develop Greenland’s rare earth resources.

During the Biden administration, the United States lobbied Australian mining company Tanbreez Mining, urging it not to sell its southern Greenland rare earth project to a Chinese-linked buyer.

Not far from the Tanbreez project, a uranium and rare earth element project that had received investments from the Chinese firm Shenghe Holdings was stopped short in 2021 when the Greenlandic government banned uranium mining.

Nathanielsen was involved in that effort.

In March, the CEO of the Bank of Greenland told Bloomberg that the European Union or the United States must guarantee purchases of critical minerals from the island.

Also in March, China’s state news agency reported that Greenland’s new foreign minister expressed interest in more cooperation with that country.

In April, Greenland and Beijing agreed to streamline China’s access to Greenlandic fish exports. —>READ MORE HERE

Greenland urges US, Europe to invest in its critical minerals, or China will:

Greenland is urging the US and European nations to invest in its mining industry, cautioning that a lack of Western engagement may compel the Arctic territory to seek partnerships with China instead, says Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s minister for business and mineral resources.

“We want to develop our business sector and diversify it, and that requires investments from outside,” Nathanielsen said in an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday.

She emphasized a preference for collaboration with European and American partners, but noted that if they do not engage, Greenland would need to consider other options, including China.

Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, possesses substantial but remote mineral deposits, many of which contain strategic minerals like rare earths being sought after by Western powers. China currently dominates the supply of several key minerals. For rare earths alone, it accounts for 60% of the global mine supply and nearly all of the refining, making it a pseudo-monopoly.

The Greenland government views the development of its mineral sector — involving as many as 40 items on the US and EU critical minerals list — as a key strategy for economic diversification.

A memorandum of understanding to support the island’s mineral development with the US, signed during Donald Trump’s first presidency, is nearing expiration. Efforts to renew the agreement under President Joe Biden’s administration have been unsuccessful.

Trump, since being elected for a second term, has repeatedly voiced his desire to purchase Greenland, which would give the US access to its mineral reserves.

In the Financial Times interview, Nathanielsen criticized Trump’s previous statements about the US potentially taking over Greenland, describing them as “disrespectful and distasteful.”

Despite such rhetoric, she noted that Chinese involvement in Greenland’s mining sector is currently minimal, with only two Chinese companies holding minority stakes in inactive projects.

China has previously been looking to get involved with the Tanbreez mine project in southern Greenland, which is said to host one of the world’s largest rare earth reserves. —>READ MORE HERE

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