From Sputnik:
Greenland Forgoes China for Airport Contract, Assuages US, Danish Fears
Due to heavy
pressure from the US and Denmark, the government of Greenland on Monday
chose the Danish government over a Chinese competitor for a lucrative
airport upgrade contract.
Following a meeting with Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen, Greenland's Prime Minister, Kim Kielsen, announced her government had agreed to let Denmark pay 700 million Danish crowns for a 33 percent stake in state-owned Kalaallit Airports, Reuters reported. Kielsen also agree to let Denmark provide 450 million crowns of credit for the projects and a state guarantee for another 450 million from the Nordic Investment Bank.
Greenland's decision follows what had been a keen interest in the offer put forth by the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), a Chinese infrastructure firm that in March made it to the Greenland government's short list of 11 contenders for the airport revamp, Global Construction Review reported at the time.CCCC is a publicly-traded company, but according to the company, 63.8 percent of its shares are owned by China Communications Construction Group (CCCG), a Chinese state-owned enterprise, giving the socialist government a foot in the door wherever the company can get contracts.
With a population of only 60,000 and an area of over 830,000 square miles, Greenland relies heavily on air travel to get people and supplies to its many isolated towns. That makes the government's plan to build three new airports, one of which is in the capital of Nuuk, a high priority. Who knew it would put the ironically-named, frozen, rocky island in the middle of a dispute between world superpowers?
Well, there's always a shot at a Bear Island International Airport. What say you, Norway?For one, the US maintains several air bases on the island, including Thule Air Base, which operates systems related to missile warning, space surveillance and space control, Defense News noted. The base also hosts a 10,000-foot-long runway and "the northernmost deep water port in the world," according to the Pentagon."We continue to notice significant interest in Greenland by the Chinese," a US defense official told Defense News when asked about the issue this summer....MUCH MORE
...Bloomberg reported in April that since 2008, China has bought or invested in European assets valued at $318 billion, together around 360 companies. That's not including 355 mergers, investments and joint ventures the publication couldn't get their hands on information about.
Together, Chinese firms now control roughly 10 percent of cargo port space in Europe, according to the International Transport Forum, facilitated by huge purchases such as a 51 percent stake in the Greek port of Piraeus in 2016, which Greek privatization agency HRADF expects to increase to a 67 percent stake in the next five years....
