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Opinion | US tactics to deny China a role in the Arctic are welcomed by no one but itself
- Washington’s mischaracterisation of Beijing’s intentions is the basis for moves to increase US’ presence in Arctic and lean on allies to undermine China’s
- However, public opinion in the region largely welcomes Chinese participation in scientific endeavours and infrastructure development
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Last month, when one might have thought there were more urgent matters to attend to back home, the Trump administration announced with great fanfare a series of steps to increase its presence in Greenland.
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The Americans are reopening a consulate in the capital, Nuuk, and offering US$12 million in aid. These steps, widely criticised by the public in Greenland, come just eight months after the US president cancelled a visit to Copenhagen in a huff when his offer to buy the vast island territory from Denmark was snubbed.
At a briefing on April 23, a senior State Department official presented the US move as aimed at countering what he described as Russia’s “military build-up in the Arctic” and Chinese efforts to “wiggle their way” into Greenland. He said China, by offering support for expanding Greenland’s tourism industry, was seeking control over its strategic assets.
That would be “problematic for the United States and our Nato allies”, the official warned. “It would not be in our interest for China to secure control of critical infrastructure in Greenland, any more than it’s in our interest … to see China secure control of critical ports in Europe or 5G communication networks.”
Just three days earlier, on April 20, Carla Sands, the US ambassador to Denmark, had issued a statement which attacked the Arctic presence of the Russian Federation, a member of the Arctic Council.
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