Asia Times: Amid Trump's Statements About US Need to Acquire Greenland, China Is Seriously Pursuing the 'Ice Silk Road'
While Western media are calling Republican President-elect Donald Trump a “madman” for his proposal to buy or “take over” Greenland, China is quietly building a new maritime “Ice Silk Road” in the Arctic Ocean with help from Russia, Asia Times reports.
The publication recalls statements made by Trump regarding the Danish island of Greenland. Last month, Trump wrote in a social media post that “to ensure national security and freedom throughout the world, the United States believes that ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.” On January 7, he told the media that he did not rule out the use of military or economic force to seize the island.
Trump last spoke about Greenland as US president in August 2019, when he said he was considering buying Greenland for strategic reasons. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded by saying Greenland was not for sale and that Trump's proposal was "absurd."
Meanwhile, Trump's proposals come amid growing interest in the northern seas from China, Asia Times notes. Back in January 2018, the Chinese government published the "Arctic Policy of China," which outlined its plan for the "lawful and rational use of Arctic resources." The same document stated that China has long been involved in Arctic affairs. Back in 1925, it joined the Spitsbergen (Svalbard) Treaty and began to participate in solving Arctic problems.
According to Chinese journalist Yong Jian, an expert on Chinese economics and politics, China has made significant progress in implementing its Arctic policy over the past seven years. For example, in the second half of 2023, the Chinese company New Shipping Line, which cooperates with Russia, made seven container ship voyages between Asia and Europe along the Northern Sea Route. And in July 2024, it launched a new Arctic route connecting Shanghai with St. Petersburg.
It is also noted that Washington has finally acknowledged that Beijing and Moscow have joined forces to launch the Northern Sea Route, or, as it is also called, the “Ice Silk Road.”
The route runs along Russia's Arctic coast from East Asia to Europe, which could cut the traditional route through the Strait of Malacca and the Suez Canal by a third. This is undoubtedly a big advantage for China, as a shorter route means lower costs.
- says the Asia Times article.
Experts emphasize the importance of the “Ice Silk Road” also because it could become a real alternative to the route through the Strait of Malacca, where the Americans are trying to create problems for China.
If one day the US tries to close the Strait of Malacca by military means, China will immediately face serious problems in oil supplies. Therefore, the development of the Northern Sea Route is not only a way to save time and money, but, more importantly, to open another avenue for China's energy security.
- said Yun Jian.
Like Trump, China is interested in Greenland's strategic importance in the Arctic, the authors of the publication believe, recalling that in 2018, Chinese state contractor China Communications Construction Company submitted a bid to build airports in Greenland, but withdrew it in 2019.
If the US takes control of Greenland, China will have to change its Arctic strategy "as an arms race will drive up insurance premiums in the region," said Elizabeth Buchanan, a senior fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
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