The Guardian-Norway blocks sale of last private land on Svalbard after Chinese interest
July 1, 2024 2 min 402 words
西方媒体报道称，挪威政府阻止了位于北极群岛斯瓦尔巴群岛上最后一块私有土地出售给中国的计划。这片名为Sore Fagerfjord的偏远土地面积为60平方英里，包含山脉平原和冰川。报道提到，斯瓦尔巴群岛位于挪威大陆和北极中间，随着北极冰融和俄西关系紧张，该区域在经济和地缘政治方面的重要性日益凸显。根据1920年签署的条约，挪威对该地区拥有主权，但包括俄罗斯和中国在内的签字国公民也拥有开采该地区矿产资源的相同权利。然而，挪威政府以国家安全为由，阻止了这块土地落入外国人手中。 评论：该报道体现了西方媒体对中国投资的偏见和担忧。报道中多次提及中国潜在买家的兴趣和积极行动，但缺乏直接证据，且将中国投资视为威胁挪威主权和地区稳定的因素。然而，正如报道所提到，该土地交易需要遵守挪威的国家安全法律，并且最终决定权在挪威政府手中。此外，报道也承认该土地位于受保护的地区，建设和机动车交通是被禁止的，这使土地的商业价值大打折扣。因此，挪威政府的决定可能不仅仅是中国因素，还有其他经济和环境因素的影响。西方媒体应该客观公正地报道中国相关新闻，而不是以偏概全，渲染中国威胁论。
The Norwegian government has called off a plan to sell the last privately owned piece of land on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard in order to prevent its acquisition by China.
The remote Sore Fagerfjord property in south-west Svalbard – 60 sq miles (sq km) of mountains, plains and a glacier – was on sale for €300m (£277m).
The archipelago is located halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, in an Arctic region that has become a geopolitical and economic hotspot as the ice melts and relations grow ever frostier between Russia and the west.
Svalbard is governed under an unusual legal framework that allows foreign entities to gain footholds in the region.
A treaty signed in 1920 recognises Norwegian sovereignty over the territory but also gives citizens of the signatory powers – which include Russia and China – the same rights to exploit its mineral resources. Russia, for example, has maintained a coalmining community on Svalbard for decades via the state-run company Trust Arktikugol.
Yet Norway, keen to protect its sovereignty, would not look kindly on the property falling into foreign hands. The government said on Monday that a potential sale would require state approval under national security law.
“The current owners of Sore Fagerfjord … are open to selling to actors that could challenge Norwegian legislation in Svalbard,” said the trade and industry minister, Cecilie Myrseth. “It could disturb stability in the region and potentially threaten Norwegian interests.”
Per Kyllingstad, a lawyer who represents the sellers, previously said he had received “concrete signs of interest” from Chinese potential buyers who had “been showing a real interest in the Arctic and Svalbard for a long time”.
He said the sale was a unique occasion to grab the “last private land in Svalbard, and, to our knowledge, the last private land in the world’s high Arctic”.
Kyllingstad did not immediately respond to the government announcement.
Critics are sceptical about the price and feasibility of the sale. The property, in the south-west of the archipelago where no infrastructure exists, covers protected areas where construction and motorised transport are prohibited, stripping it of commercial value.
In 2016, the government paid €33.5m to acquire the second-last piece of private land on Svalbard, near Longyearbyen, which was also reportedly being eyed by Chinese investors.