The U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken recently said in Denmark, where he was visiting, in connection with territory, Greenland, "the United States has no intention of buying." When he appeared on a Danish television program, he stated it. Relations between the two countries, which had deteriorated due to the implied purchase of Greenland by former President Trump in 2019, have been restored. The background to Biden's rush to improve relations is believed to be the aim of restraining Russia and China, which are aggressive in advancing into the Arctic Ocean. (Photo quoted from Yahoo’s image)

What was the cause of the deterioration of bilateral relations in the first place? At the end of August 2019, it started with a tweet sent by former President Trump. At that time, Denmark's Prime Minister Frederiksen dismissed it as a "stupid" when he tweeted that the United States would buy Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory, before visiting Denmark. The turmoil grew as many media outlets reported Mr. Trump's tweet negatively.

So why did Mr. Trump tweet the "acquisition of Greenland" just before his visit? There is a view that this point was to restrain Russia. It seems that it was a hint to prevent the "Nord Stream 2" (total length of about 1,200 kilometers) project, which is a natural gas pipeline under the sea that connects Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea.

In March 2017, the European Commission of the European Union (EU) proposed that the EU be coordinating with Russia on the construction of gas transmission pipes. The EU argued that the consensus of the Member should be negotiated within the legal framework.

In response, the Danish government has begun to consider amending the law, including the right to refuse the construction of Nord Stream 2 as a diplomatic and national security issue. At that time, the Danish government insisted that construction should be decided in accordance with domestic law (as a result, the Danish government agreed to construction).

On the other hand, Mr. Trump, who wants to sell U.S. natural gas or liquefied natural gas (LNG) to European countries, wants to prevent the construction of Nord Stream 2 at all costs. However, instead of sympathizing with Mr. Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel had a rather terrible relationship over this issue.

If the Danish government says "NO" to construction, the Nord Stream 2 project will effectively fail. Denmark was the last line of trust for the Trump administration. As of early September 2019, when the construction work was in its final stages, only Denmark had not made a clear decision on whether or not to build it.

It was a "Greenland acquisition" tweet under these circumstances. As a result, Mr. Trump was forced to cancel his visit to Denmark at the last minute. Since then, the jerky relationship between the two countries has continued to now.

Although the introduction has been lengthened, Secretary of State, Blinken has stated that he will not purchase Greenland, and is looking ahead to Russia, which is quietly advancing into the Arctic Ocean, and China, which is looking for opportunities to advance. Blinken emphasized that "a law-based order is necessary."

There is an urgent need for the Biden administration to improve relations with Denmark, which is expected to play an important role in the Arctic, in order to stop Russia’s excessive activity and China's self-righteous movement that disregards law and order around the world. 

In recent years, the area of sea ice has continued to decrease in the Arctic Ocean, probably due to the effects of global warming. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), the area of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean may have shrunk to 3.74 million square kilometers last summer, making it the second smallest in observation history.

With the expansion of the sea area that can be navigated in the Arctic Ocean, it has attracted a lot of attention as an international route, and the reserve of energy resources has been confirmed by a survey by a specialized agency, and the bargaining over economic interests has become conspicuous. It is also becoming increasingly important as a national security hub.

A Ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council (chaired by Russia) will be held in Iceland on May 19, 20 as a new battle for hegemony over the Arctic Ocean begins in earnest, centered on the United States, Russia and China. 

China will also participate as an observer. The Arctic Ocean, like the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East, is now positioned as a key point of geopolitical risk.

Jiro Arihara

Journalist based in Tokyo.

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