[By Guancha Observer Network, Liu Chenghui]

The self-governing Danish territory of Greenland, which has been threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump with "forceful annexation," now faces another headache - they are eager to develop their economy but have yet to see investments from Western allies.

According to a May 27 report by the Financial Times, Greenland's Minister for Business and Mineral Resources, Naaja Nathanielsen, urged mining companies in the U.S. and Europe to speed up their investments in Greenland, otherwise the island may have to seek help from countries like China.

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

When asked about the possibility of turning to China, she responded: "We do hope to cooperate with our partners in Europe and the U.S. But if they don't show up, I think we must explore other options."

She also mentioned that China seems to have little interest in investing in Greenland's mining industry at present; only two Chinese companies are involved in mining projects as minority shareholders, and these projects have not yet started. She speculated that Chinese investors might be cautious to avoid controversy.

Nathanielsen said that a mineral development memorandum between Greenland and the U.S., signed during Trump's previous term, is set to expire. Greenland had tried to renew it under the Biden administration but failed to succeed.

Naaja Nathanielsen, Minister for Business and Mineral Resources of Greenland, Financial Times

It is worth noting that since his inauguration in January, Trump has repeatedly made remarks about "annexing" Greenland and refused to rule out the possibility of forcibly seizing the island. To achieve this goal, some of Trump's advisors had informally proposed the idea of incorporating Greenland into the U.S. sphere of influence through a Compact of Free Association.

Nathanielsen said: "We had hoped that the Trump administration would be more willing to discuss mineral development with us, but their response was unexpected. We do not want to become a U.S. dependency."

She frankly stated that Trump's threat of "annexation" was "impolite and offensive." The report noted that this reflects growing dissatisfaction among Greenlanders with Trump's remarks.

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

Currently, Greenland has two operational mines producing gold and anorthosite, while two licensed mining areas remain unoperational.

Nathanielsen said that the "top priority" is to bring development to Greenland and its people. Greenland prefers to cooperate with "allies and like-minded partners."

However, she also reminded that against the backdrop of changes in the Western alliance structure, Greenland is "struggling to find its position."

"The EU is our ideal partner because it lacks the necessary mineral resources and aligns with Greenland on environmental standards," she said.

"We are trying to understand what this new world order looks like. In this context, seeking Chinese investment will undoubtedly face challenges, but U.S. investment is also debatable," Nathanielsen said.

"We must ask ourselves: What is the purpose of U.S. investment?" she added.

This article is an exclusive contribution by the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7509021066900259362/

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