Why the US is eyeing Hong Kong and Greenland
- The two places may be poles apart, but both have a geopolitical value for Washington: Greenland for its resources and Hong Kong as leverage against China
Greenland and Hong Kong are rarely mentioned in the same breath. But perhaps they should now, as the United States has taken an interest in both, most likely for comparable geopolitical reasons.
US President Donald Trump wants to buy Greenland, and Washington has been interfering in Hong Kong’s internal affairs.
Of course, the two semi-autonomous regions are poles apart, literally on opposite sides of the world. Greenland is the world’s largest island with a tiny population of 56,000. Hong Kong is tiny, but with almost 7.5 million people.
But history has made our political structures not dissimilar. While Greenland has its own government, its sovereign owner is Denmark, which is in charge of its defence and foreign policy. Sound familiar?
Trump wants to buy Greenland. But Denmark says it is not for sale
Denmark subsidises Greenland to the tune of US$670 million a year; the island doesn’t generate enough revenue on its own. But it could: it’s rich in oil and natural gas, and also rare earth minerals whose global supplies have been dominated by China.
Trump’s offer of a purchase may be diplomatically crude, but America’s interest has been long-standing.
While his critics make fun of him, and Danes are outraged, not all Greenlanders are upset. Some officials there in charge of tourism and industry are happy their territory is making front-page news and said they would welcome foreign capital. Trump would be more than happy to mine one of the world’s last pristine territories.
You can already see an attempt to drive a wedge between Greenland and Denmark. Writing in The New York Times, Tom Cotton, a Republican senator, thinks it makes perfect sense for the US to take over Greenland. “The manifest logic of this idea means that its consideration is here to stay,” he wrote. That sounds like a warning to the Danes.
A hegemon rarely declares outright aggression, but will profess the noblest of intentions. Captain America is there to defend Hong Kong people, not to encourage unrest against Beijing.
It will make Greenlanders rich, if only they let it in.
