Maybe if you read Danish newspapers intently, or bring this up with a Greenlander....you might know bits and pieces of the story....otherwise, a 99-percent chance as a EU resident....you have no knowledge of the situation.
The leadership of Greenland...wanted to expand and build onto three airports in the country....Nuuk (the capital), Ilulissat, and Qaqortoq. No support was appearing from the Danes, or the EU. No one ever asks why....but I would imagine they didn't see tourism growth ever coming to Greenland.
So....talks started up between Greenland and China regarding airport projects centered on Greenland's efforts to secure financing and construction for expansions.
This intent? Development to boost tourism and economic growth, with an estimated total project cost of around 3.6 billion Danish kroner (approximately $560 million at the time).
In late 2017, Greenland's then-Premier Kim Kielsen led a delegation to Beijing to work up a deal with Chinese state-run banks and companies for funding and building the airports.
Greenland could cover about 2.1 billion kroner internally but needed external financing for the remaining 1.5 billion.
The Chinese side? China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), Beijing Construction Engineering Group (BCEG), and the Export-Import Bank of China (EXIM).
Chinese interest was expressed, but financing was conditional on a Chinese firm handling the construction. Yeah....Greenland would have to allow Chinese construction workers, period.
A short list of bidders came up in the spring of 2018....with construction supposed to start in October 2018.
So at this point....spring-to-summer of 2018.....security concerns from Denmark (Greenland's sovereign authority) and the U.S. came up over potential Chinese influence near the U.S. Thule Air Base and risks of debt dependency upon Greenland.
To prevent problems....summer of 2018...Denmark intervened by agreeing to provide 700 million kroner for a 33-percent stake in Kalaallit Airports (covering Nuuk and Ilulissat, but excluding Qaqortoq), effectively putting Chinese financing on hold and reducing the odds of CCCC winning the bid.
In the aftermath of this funding decision....Greenland political tensions popped up....mostly negative about how the Danes got in the middle of controlling the outcome, and forcing a particular outcome.
The odds of some Chinese influence in the Greenland bidding and selection process? You can make the analysis and suggest this....but no real facts to back it up.
So as the Danes, Greenlanders, and US meet this week....the Danes are fairly aware of this episode, and the influence of the Chinese on Greenland. As much as they publicly denounce Trump.....they also are probably aware that they can't rig this with any happy outcome for Greenland.
Oh, and I should add....since 2024....1,800 jobs in tourism have been created in Greenland (thanks to port visits and the nation's main airport).....105,000 guests have visited Greenland in 2025 alone (with 2024 numbers of 54,000 airport guests). The upgrades in the airport? Yeah, it was a big deal.
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