Donald Trump is right to think of Greenland as an area of potentially dangerous vulnerability for the U.S., and as a country with, in all probability, valuable exploitable resources. Writing on this site back in January, Henry Olsen set out a pragmatic and plausible win-win arrangement: agreeing on a Compact of Free Association with Greenland similar to that which the U.S. has with the Republic of Micronesia, Palau, and the Marshall Islands. This would allow the Trump administration to achieve many of its objectives, while (1) allowing Greenlanders to opt for self-determination and (2) avoiding a brawl with Denmark, an old friend and a NATO member.

Instead, the administration started on a different course, embarking on a blunt, all too public policy of carrot and stick. Promises of American largesse on the one hand, bullying on the other. The first required rather more subtlety than was on display, the second should never have been tried.

The Trump administration is pursuing an avowedly nationalist agenda, which makes it all the more surprising that its approach took no account of the fact that both Greenlanders and Danes (Greenland is technically part of Denmark but enjoys a high level of autonomy) have national pride too. Some bridges have been badly burned.

And so (via Newsweek):

Greenland’s foreign minister has said it is seeking deeper cooperation with China and potentially a free trade agreement, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

Xinhua is effectively an official Chinese source, so its reports have to be treated with considerable caution, but it was still interesting to read this:

Vivian Motzfeldt, the incoming foreign minister of Greenland’s new autonomous government, told Xinhua that strengthening ties with China will be one of her priorities.

“My trip to China in 2023 was memorable,” she said, noting that China is one of Greenland’s largest seafood markets. “China is very important to us, and we are eager to strengthen our cooperation.”

Motzfeldt said her tasks include boosting exports, enhancing cooperation in the fisheries sector, and pursuing a free trade agreement with China.

Free trade, eh?

Motzfeldt might have just been being diplomatic (and her “memorable” trip to China was two years ago), but Beijing is obviously interested in stirring the Greenland pot. It’s also not inconceivable that Motzfeldt was sending a warning signal to the U.S.

The Trump administration needs to rebuild those bridges quickly and pivot to a subtler, incremental, and more consensual tack with a view to deepening the relationship with Greenland and keeping Denmark onside. Henry Olsen’s idea (or something like it) remains a good long-term objective, but it will take time and a lot of repair work before something as substantial as that has a realistic chance of being agreed, but in the meantime, there’s a lot that can be done — once trust has been restored.