Greenlandic minister Nick Nielsen, whose portfolio includes education and culture, was in China last week.

In Shanghai, he paid a visit to the PRIC (the Polar Research Institute of China (中国极地研究中心), that is), where he discussed plans for scientific cooperation, arranged a meeting next month in Shanghai on ‘Greenland maritime navigation’ and future visits to Greenland by the Xuelong 雪龙, China’s icebreaker. He also had a videochat with Zhongshan 中山 station in Antarctica.

Perhaps more importantly, Nielsen was also in Beijing, where he dropped by Liu Cigui 刘赐贵, director of the State Ocean Administration (国家海洋局). There he expressed interest in a ‘cooperation agreement’ between the two countries, which he expects could be signed next year.

From there he went on to Japan, more on which in a separate post to come.