China in Greenland: Companies, Governments, and Hidden Intentions?

10/23/2018

|

Yang Jiang | Danish Institute for International Studies

Much has been said among observers and  policymakers about China’s ‘hidden intentions’ in Greenland, but in fact, China’s intentions for the Arctic are anything but hidden. Explicitly, they include shipping and natural resources. Chinese companies, whether state-owned or private, regard Greenland as a new frontier for business, but they are also trying to align themselves with Chinese government policy.

Chinese activities in the Arctic have recently attracted wide attention among observers and policymakers. Anxieties abound about what hidden intentions China may have behind its mining, construction, shipping and research activities. China’s publication of its first white paper on its Arctic Policy in January 2018, identifying itself as a ‘Near-Arctic State’ and with a prominent goal of establishing a Polar Silk Road, has not dampened these worries: to some extent it has exacerbated them.

Laying speculation aside, this policy brief seeks to analyse Chinese government and corporate interests in Greenland, drawing on information about five projects with Chinese involvement (see box)…

China_in_Greenland

To view the original posting of this article, click here.

Copyright © 2018 Danish Institute of International Studies. All Rights Reserved.