Greenland has warned that it may turn to China for investment in its mining sector if the United States and European Union fail to step up, according to comments made by the Arctic territory’s business and mineral resources minister in an interview with the Financial Times. Naaja Nathanielsen said Greenland is eager to diversify its economy and build out its mining and tourism sectors, but that doing so requires external investment—something Western partners have been slow to deliver.
“We want to develop our business sector and diversify it, and that requires investments from outside,” Nathanielsen told the Financial Times. When asked about the possibility of working with China, she emphasized that Greenland’s preference is to cooperate with European and American partners but added, “If they don’t show up I think we need to look elsewhere.”
Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, sits atop large deposits of valuable minerals such as gold, copper, and anorthosite. While interest in the island’s resources has grown due to geopolitical and economic shifts, Nathanielsen said Western governments have not matched that attention with meaningful engagement. A memorandum of understanding with the US on mineral development, originally signed under Donald Trump, is about to expire, and efforts to renew it under President Biden’s administration have gone unanswered. Trump’s controversial suggestion that the US might take over Greenland was described by Nathanielsen as “disrespectful and distasteful,” reflecting a broader resentment among Greenlanders toward that era’s rhetoric.
Despite the potential opening to China, Nathanielsen said interest from Chinese investors in Greenland’s mining sector remains limited. Only two Chinese companies currently hold minority stakes in inactive projects, and she speculated that Beijing may be hesitant to act aggressively in order to avoid political backlash. Still, the minister acknowledged that Chinese involvement, like American investment, carries strategic complications. “We are trying to figure out, what does the new world order look like? In those terms, Chinese investment is of course problematic, but so, to some extent, is American. Because what are the purpose of [the US investments]?”
Greenland recently issued its first mining license under a revised legal framework to a Danish-French consortium planning a €150 million anorthosite extraction project in western Greenland. The group includes backers such as the Greenlandic state pension fund, Danish bank Arbejdernes Landsbank, and French mining firm Jean Boulle. Greenland currently has only two operational mines, with two more licensed but not yet producing. Nathanielsen said the government is focused on economic development for the benefit of Greenlanders and would ideally like to work with “allies and like-minded partners.”
She noted that the EU is a particularly promising partner because of its mineral shortages and shared environmental standards, saying, “The EU is a good fit for Greenland.” But until Western allies provide the level of investment Greenland seeks, the island’s leadership appears increasingly open to looking beyond traditional partnerships—even if that means turning to China.
