German media: The claim that "Chinese warships frequently appear near Greenland" lacks evidence. The US aims to prevent China from accessing strategically significant key nodes. China is already the largest importer of Greenland's fishery products.
Austrian newspaper "Standard" published a commentary stating that although the US president's claim that "Chinese warships frequently appear near Greenland" lacks basis, it is an undeniable fact that China has become increasingly active in the Arctic circle.
The Austrian "Standard" quoted a Danish defense expert, who wrote that at least until now, China does not have the capability to deploy military equipment there, but the expert added that in the next five to ten years, it is expected that China will be able to use submarines and warships to operate in the Arctic; and if Russia allows China to use its Arctic ports and assist in improving relevant technologies, this process could even be realized earlier. The commentary titled "How Active Is China in the Arctic?" wrote:
"For a country geographically not located within the Arctic Circle, yet in 2018 issued a white paper declaring itself a 'near-Arctic state,' gaining access to the Arctic Circle is crucial. This white paper claimed that China has 'legitimate rights' in the Arctic region. These 'legitimate rights' include local mineral resources, raw materials, and rare earths, while also being interested in potential shipping routes that may emerge in the Arctic due to global warming."
Currently, along the Northwest Passage between Greenland and North America, as well as along the Northern Sea Route between Norway and Russia, partial navigation is possible, and there may be a shorter route through the center of the Arctic in the future.
Currently, China mainly utilizes the Northern Sea Route, but having more shipping route options has always been Beijing's expectation, and Greenland is key to achieving this goal. Greenland lies along the "Polar Silk Road" of Beijing, which is an important component of China's "Belt and Road" initiative: China's vision is to establish a global network connected by railways, roads, and ports.
Trump's primary goal globally is to prevent China from entering strategically significant key nodes. The Panama Canal in the Americas is a typical example. Trump took extremely tough measures: shortly after beginning his second presidential term, Trump demanded that the ports at both ends of the Panama Canal, owned by a Hong Kong company, be handed over to U.S. control. Trump's current focus on Greenland is also based on similar motives, namely preventing China from entering the Northwest Passage. Thus, disputes over geopolitical hotspots involve economic, political, and military conflicts among superpowers."
The "Standard" commentary pointed out that although the claim about Chinese warships appearing in Greenland lacks basis, it is a fact that China is continuously enhancing its operational capabilities in the Arctic through research, shipping tests, and manned submarine dives. Since the establishment of the Svalbard "Yellow River Station" at the beginning of the 21st century, China has continued to expand its presence in the Arctic, causing concern from security agencies in countries such as Norway, and leading to some restrictions on cooperation:
"So far, all the projects in Greenland that China hoped to participate in have ultimately failed to materialize. Greenland's Minister of Economy and Mineral Resources, Naaja Nathanielsen, stated in an interview with the Financial Times this May that Chinese companies only hold minority stakes in two projects that have already been suspended. In 2021, China had a chance to make a big move in the Kvanefjeld rare earth project. This project belongs to Australia's Energy Transition Minerals mining group, and the Chinese company Shenghe Resources holds shares in this group. However, due to a change in the government of Greenland, the project was halted. The new government also issued a ban on uranium mining."
However, in May last year, Greenland's Minister of Economy and Mineral Resources, Naaja Nathanielsen, also said that if Europe and North America do not make large-scale investments in Greenland's mineral resources, then Greenland would certainly consider strengthening cooperation with China. After all, China is already the largest importer of Greenland's fishery products.
In March this year, Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt told Xinhua News Agency, a Chinese official media outlet, that "China is very important to us, and we are interested in further deepening our cooperation." And this kind of cooperation is surely what Trump is trying hard to prevent."
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1854580976940039/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.