President Trump repeated vows to safe U.S. management of Greenland and the Panama Canal in his speech to a joint a session of Congress on March 4.
“We want Greenland for nationwide safety and even worldwide safety,” the president mentioned throughout his handle. “I feel we’ll get it. Somehow, we’ll get it.”
Greenland’s prime minister responded, saying “We aren’t on the market and can’t merely be taken.”
Now, second woman Usha Vance is predicted to visit Greenland this week, in response to the White Home, and nationwide safety adviser Mike Waltz will go to in a separate journey. Donald Trump Jr. visited in January earlier than the president took workplace.
On the Panama Canal, Mr. Trump mentioned, “To additional improve our nationwide safety, my administration might be reclaiming the Panama Canal, and we have already began doing it,” referring to a deal to give an American company control of key ports.
Panama’s president denounced Mr. Trump’s remarks and mentioned “The Canal is Panamanian” in a social media put up.
Under is a take a look at the place the 2 locations are and what Mr. Trump has mentioned about wanting the U.S. to regulate them.
The place is Greenland and why does President Trump need it?
Greenland is positioned to the northeast of Canada and is basically lined by the Greenland Ice Sheet. The most important island on the earth, however residence to solely round 60,000 folks, it’s a semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, with its personal elected authorities.
Its location between the U.S., Russia and Europe makes it strategic for each financial and protection functions — particularly as melting sea ice has opened up new shipping routes through the Arctic. It’s also the placement of the northernmost U.S. army base.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly claimed the U.S. wants Greenland for nationwide safety functions. “I am speaking about defending the free world,” he mentioned in early January. “You take a look at — you do not even want binoculars — you look exterior. You’ve gotten China ships in every single place. You’ve gotten Russian ships in every single place. We’re not letting that occur. We’re not letting it occur.”
European College at St. Petersburg
The Northwest Passage, or Northern Sea route, was first crossed within the winter months by a Russian industrial vessel a number of years in the past, and is a shorter route linking east Asia’s main ports to Europe and the Atlantic Ocean. Western powers have already voiced concern about Russia and China utilizing it to spice up their presence within the North Atlantic.
“The Individuals have a powerful curiosity in overseeing the actions of international international locations in Greenland as a result of it is such a giant safety asset for international states, and as a consequence of that, any funding or exercise, from the American viewpoint, could also be seen as a safety menace,” Frank Sejersen, affiliate professor on the College of Copenhagen, informed CBS Information.
Pernille Benjaminsen, a human rights lawyer in Greenland, informed CBS Information the ties between the territory’s semi-autonomous authorities and the Danish authorities had grown tense lately, and Mr. Trump might be attempting to reap the benefits of that.
“He has seen that there’s this tense relationship between Denmark and Greenland and seen alternatives in that,” she mentioned.
Greenland additionally has oil, pure gasoline and extremely wanted mineral assets.
These mineral assets, which embody uncommon earth components, “have solely been calmly explored and developed,” Jose W. Fernandez, the U.S. Division of State’s undersecretary for financial progress, power and the atmosphere, said at a Minerals Security Partnership occasion in Greenland in November.
Greenland could have important reserves of as much as 31 completely different minerals, together with lithium and graphite, each of that are wanted to provide electrical car batteries, in response to a 2023 report assessing the island’s assets.
At the moment, lithium manufacturing is dominated by Australia, Chile and China, whereas China produces about 65% of the world’s graphite, the report famous.
Greenland additionally has the potential to offer a big quantity of uncommon earth minerals like Neodymium, which is used to make the magnets utilized in electrical motors, the 2023 report mentioned.
At the moment, China produces about 70% of uncommon earth components.
“The world is at present too depending on a small set of actors for mining and processing many important minerals,” Fernandez mentioned in November.
Demand for uncommon earth minerals is outstripping provide, which has saved costs excessive, according to the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Nonetheless, there are important hurdles to mining in Greenland, together with environmental and price points.
What’s the Panama Canal and why does Trump need it?
About 40% of U.S. container delivery at present travels by the Panama Canal, in response to the commerce publication CargoNOW. The canal serves as a shortcut between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea and, past that, the Atlantic Ocean.
Mr. Trump has mentioned that the US wants the Panama Canal for “financial safety,” falsely alleging that it’s being “operated by China.”
“The Panama Canal is significant to our nation. It is being operated by China. China! And we gave the Panama Canal to Panama. We did not give it to China, and so they’ve abused it. They’ve abused that present. It ought to have by no means been made,” he mentioned earlier than taking workplace once more on Jan. 20.
Panama President Jose Raul Mulino has disputed claims that China controls the canal.
“There’s completely no Chinese language interference nor involvement in something to do with the Panama Canal,” he mentioned in late December.
Elmurod Usubaliev/Anadolu Company/Getty
However in February, Panama decided not to renew a key infrastructure agreement with Beijing after a go to from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Forward of Mr. Trump’s handle to Congress, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate that operates ports at both finish of the canal introduced an settlement to promote shares of its models to an funding group led by American company BlackRock.
Mr. Trump touted the deal in his speech. “The Panama Canal was constructed by Individuals for Individuals, not for others. However others may use it,” he mentioned.
In his response, Mulino mentioned, “President Trump is mendacity.”
“The Panama Canal is just not within the means of being restored, and that is actually not the duty that was even mentioned in our conversations with Secretary Rubio or anybody else,” he wrote on social media. “The Canal is Panamanian and can proceed to be Panamanian!”
China has denied attempting to say any management over the canal, with International Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning saying in December that Beijing would “all the time respect Panama’s sovereignty over the Canal and acknowledge the Canal as a completely impartial worldwide waterway.”
The historical past of Greenland
The Kingdom of Denmark started colonizing Greenland within the early 18th century, lots of of years after Vikings from the identical distant land first arrived to arrange residency. It was not till World Struggle II that the U.S. established a presence on the island, when then-Danish Ambassador to the U.S., Henrik Kauffmann, refused to give up to the rule of Denmark’s Nazi occupiers.
Denmark was liberated from Nazi occupation in 1945, however the U.S. didn’t go away its army base, Pituffik Area Base, which to this present day stays the American army’s northernmost set up.
The historical past of the Panama Canal
The Panama Canal was constructed by the U.S. between 1904 and 1914. It serves as a shortcut between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean, dramatically shortening delivery routes from Asia to ports within the jap U.S.
It was first managed by the U.S. authorities for many years, which brought about pressure with Panama.
Within the Seventies, the U.S. and Panama signed a treaty agreeing to the everlasting neutrality of the canal. The U.S. dedicated to relinquishing management of the canal and did so absolutely in 1999. The canal is now run by the Panama Canal Authority.
