Why China Has Its Eyes Set on the Arctic

Greenland key to faster shipping routes and access to mineral deposits

An iceberg behind houses and buildings after it grounded outside the village of Innarsuit, an island settlement in the Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. Magnus Kristensen/AFP/Getty Images

As China seeks to become an important player in the Arctic circle and curry favor with Greenland, the United States recently entered into a disagreement with Greenland over an American airbase there.

That conflict could open the door for Beijing to swoop in and further realize its Arctic ambitions, according to Greenland media.