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A Chinese mining company is taking over a planned $2bn iron ore project in Greenland, making it the first Arctic resources project to come under the full ownership of the Asian power.
一家中国矿业公司将要接管格陵兰一个计划中的20亿美元铁矿石项目，使之成为这个亚洲大国全资拥有的首个北极资源项目。
General Nice, one of China’s largest coal and iron ore importers, will run the Isua mine, following a move to put its previous owner, London Mining, into administration, according to the Greenland government.
据格陵兰政府介绍，中国最大的煤炭和铁矿石进口商之一俊安集团(General Nice)将管理Isua矿，该矿的前主人伦敦矿业(London Mining)已进入破产管理程序。
However, the involvement of a Chinese investor — even a private company — could raise alarm across the Arctic and in the US, which remains wary of Beijing’s Arctic ambitions. Plans by a Chinese property developer to buy a large remote tract of land in Iceland several years ago prompted great unease among regional diplomats.
然而，中国投资者（哪怕是一家民营企业）的参与，可能在整个北极地区以及美国拉响警报；美国仍对中国的北极雄心十分警惕。几年前，中国一家房地产开发商购买冰岛大片土地的计划，曾引发地区外交官的极大不安。
Chinese groups are already active in the Arctic. Some are helping to fund and build Russia’s Yamal liquefied natural gas project — a venture in which oil company CNPC has a minority stake. Cnooc, another Chinese oil company, has a licence with a local partner to explore for oil off Iceland.
中资集团在北极地区已经十分活跃。有些集团正参与俄罗斯亚马尔液化天然气项目的出资和建设——中国石油天然气集团公司(CNPC)拥有该项目的少数股权。中海油(Cnooc)则持有与当地合作伙伴在冰岛海域勘探石油的许可证。
Rising temperatures have made parts of the Arctic more accessible, raising China’s interest in oil and mineral projects there — and the possibility of a sea route to Europe to the north of Russia. In 2013 China became a permanent observer at the Arctic Council, the region’s decision-making body.
气温上升已使北极部分地区变得更容易进入，这提高了中国对这些地区石油和矿产项目的兴趣——还带来了沿着俄罗斯北方海岸线开通欧洲海上航线的可能性。2013年中国成为北极地区决策机构——北极理事会(Arctic Council)的常设观察员。
For Greenland and its government, Isua is an important part of a plan to exploit mineral wealth and secure full independence from Denmark. But there are still doubts over the viability of the project.
对于格陵兰岛及其政府而言，Isua是开采矿产资源、争取从丹麦完全独立的计划的重要组成部分。但是，人们对于该项目的可行性仍有疑虑。
London Mining estimated last year that operating costs would be $45 per tonne, while shipping to China would cost an extra $37 per tonne. Iron ore prices are only $70 per tonne, however, having halved last year as miners ramped up output and demand from China fell.
伦敦矿业去年估计，Isua矿的运营成本将达到每吨45美元，而运至中国的航运费将为每吨37美元。然而，目前铁矿石价格只有每吨70美元。去年铁矿石价格下滑一半，原因是各家矿商加大产出，而来自中国的需求下降。
Even at higher prices, Isua is ambitious, with construction set to take more than three years. Although the iron ore reserves there are “beautiful”, according to one executive familiar with the deposit, extracting them will be challenging because they lie under a thick layer of ice. London Mining had planned to pipe slurry out of the mine, a process that is made more difficult by the cold.
即使铁矿石价格处于较高水平，Isua项目仍是雄心勃勃的，施工时间需要超过三年。虽然据一名熟悉该矿的高管表示，那里的铁矿石储量堪称“美丽”，但采掘这些铁矿石将是具有挑战性的，因为它们埋藏在厚厚的冰下。伦敦矿业曾计划通过管道从该矿抽取铁矿浆，但寒冷加大了这种技术的难度。
Executives at General Nice operations at the port of Tianjin could not be reached for comment at the weekend. An executive at its Hong Kong-listed unit said he was not aware of details of the project.
记者在周末无法联系上俊安集团天津港业务的高管请其置评。该公司香港上市子公司的一位高管表示，他不了解该项目的详情。
The company owns iron ore mines in Russia and South Africa, and a copper mine in Australia.
该公司在俄罗斯和南非拥有铁矿，在澳大利亚拥有一个铜矿。
London Mining fell into administration in October after the tumbling price of iron ore put pressure on the indebted miner. Operations at its sole mine, in Sierra Leone, were made complex by the Ebola virus in the west African country and that mine has been sold.
伦敦矿业在去年10月被迫进入破产管理程序，铁矿石价格大幅下跌，给这家债务沉重的矿商带来了巨大压力。该公司旗下唯一的铁矿位于塞拉利昂，这个西非国家的埃博拉疫情给铁矿作业带来复杂性，该矿现在已被出售。
