Greenland's Left-Wing Party Wins Election, Opposes China's Rare Earth Project

Greenland's left-wing Inuit Ataqatigiit party won the election, and China company's rare earth mining plan could be blocked. The elections in Greenland, the Danish autonomous region, were over, and the Inuit Ataqatigiit won the election. The left-wing party promised to oppose the mining plan invested by Chinese companies, or to put this rare-earth mining plan into a deadlock.

The Inuit community won 37% of the votes in the island election and defeated the ruling social democratic Siumut party, which received only 29% of the votes. The Inuit community announced its victory on the 7^th. The Kadima Party has been in power since 1979 and has always supported the mining of rare earths. As for the Inuit community, it pays more attention to environmental issues.

Chinese-funded company Shenghe Resources and Australian company Greenland Minerals are preparing to mine rare earths in Kvanefjeld Bay in the mountains of the island. The Australian company has obtained an exploration license and plans to spend 100 million US dollars to prepare for mining.

"There are two problems that have been significant in this election: people's living conditions is one. Another is our health and the environment," said Egede, a 34-year-old native of the island's capital.

When asked about the Kvanefjeld Rare Earth Project, Mute Egede, the leader of the Inuit Community, expressed his opposition, saying: It won't happen. Egede will try to form a coalition government or choose another Greenlander Naleraq, a political party that also opposes the Kvanefjeld project, as an ally.

Greenland, the world's largest island, has its government and Parliament, and relies on Denmark for defense, foreign and monetary policies. The island has 56,000 inhabitants, most of them are Indigenous Inuit. Mikaa Mered, a lecturer in Arctic affairs at HEC Paris, said that the result of the election will hinder the development of the local rare earth mining industry as well as China’s mining project.

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