【Text by Observers Network, Liu Bai】High officials of Greenland, who are facing the threat of Trump's annexation, spoke rather boldly to Japanese media about China.

On November 19, the Prime Minister of the Greenlandic self-government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, gave an exclusive interview to Nikkei News, stating that Greenland hopes to cooperate with allies that have "good democracies" to develop its rare earth minerals. He also said that Greenland does not plan to cooperate with China in the fields of natural resources and infrastructure, as all countries hope to reduce their dependence on China for key resource procurement.

Greenland is located in the northeastern part of North America and is the world's largest island. The island is a self-governing territory of Denmark, with a high degree of autonomy, while defense and foreign affairs are managed by the Danish government. Since President Trump took office this year, he has repeatedly claimed to want Greenland and even mentioned the possibility of using force.

Nielsen, who took office in April this year, emphasized that Greenland is not a commodity.

"We will never be sold," he clearly rejected Trump's idea of buying Greenland, "we have the right to self-determination."

However, he also mentioned maintaining good relations with the United States. To deepen cooperation on rare earths and other projects, he called on Washington to negotiate in a calm manner.

Nielsen said: "Partnerships or cooperation must be based on respect and must be mutually beneficial."

Jens Frederik Nielsen IC Photo

Currently, EU countries are developing raw materials in Greenland, and Nielsen expects to strengthen ties with the EU.

"We need the EU, and the EU needs Greenland," he said.

Nielsen called on Japan to also participate in relevant cooperation, in addition to the EU and the US.

EU officials revealed that Greenland possesses most of the "critical minerals" designated by the European Commission. Currently, the EU has launched related development, and Greenland is prioritizing joint projects with European countries and Japan.

Greenland is rich in mineral resources, with large reserves of gold and copper, but most of them are difficult to mine and are located in the strategically important Arctic region.

The report states that China holds an absolute advantage in the development of key minerals such as rare earths, leading in funds and technology compared to competitors. However, Nielsen firmly stated that Greenland has not considered China as a partner for the development of natural resources and infrastructure.

"China is not in our consideration," he said, "we have not received any requests from China, and there are currently no Chinese companies wishing to invest in Greenland."

He also said that Greenland does not plan to consider China as a partner in the future, "we are fully committed to building relationships with allies and like-minded countries."

The Nikkei News reported that China is promoting the development and utilization of the Arctic shipping route through the "Polar Silk Road" initiative, while Russia is also trying to expand its influence in the region, causing Greenland to be "alert."

The US has a military base in Greenland. Although Trump's acquisition statements have led to an awkward relationship, the US remains an important partner for Greenland.

Nielsen stated that Greenland will cooperate with Denmark, the US, and NATO to strengthen security.

When discussing the possibility of expanding the US military presence in Greenland, Nielsen said that the future military presence of the US may be necessary.

Although Nielsen showed favor to the US and Europe in his remarks to Japanese media, and even mentioned China, are these so-called "democratic allies" really reliable?

A May article from the Financial Times pointed out Greenland's dilemma — they want to develop their economy, but have been waiting for Western allies' investments without success.

At that time, the Minister of Commerce and Mineral Resources of Greenland, Naja Natsios, urged American and European mining companies to accelerate investment in Greenland, otherwise Greenland would have to seek help from other countries like China.

"We hope to develop the commercial sector and achieve economic diversification, but this requires external investment," Natsios said.

When asked about the possibility of turning to China, she responded, "We do hope to cooperate with European and American partners. But if they don't show up, I think we have to find another way."

Currently, a memorandum of understanding between Greenland and the US on mineral development is about to expire. This memorandum was signed during Trump's previous term, and Greenland tried to renew it under the Biden administration, but was unsuccessful.

Although Natsios said that Greenland prefers to cooperate with "allies and like-minded partners," she also warned that in the context of changes in the Western alliance structure, Greenland is "trying to find its place."

"We are trying to figure out what this new world order looks like. In this context, seeking Chinese investment certainly brings problems, but in some ways, American investment is also questionable."

"We must ask ourselves: What is the purpose of American investment?" she said.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7574979112347959842/

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