Global Rules Matter: Germany's Take on US Actions and Arctic Minerals

Germany's top finance guy, Lars Klingbeil, recently spoke up about something big: international law applies to everyone, even the United States. He was talking about how President Donald Trump once said he wanted to take Greenland from Denmark. Klingbeil made it clear that only Denmark and Greenland get to decide what happens with Greenland. He said this because taking over a country's land isn't cool and goes against the rules. Klingbeil was heading to Washington for a meeting with finance ministers from the G7 countries. He pointed out that if the US tried to take Greenland, it would cause big problems for NATO, the group that keeps North America and Europe safe. He said countries should work together to make the Arctic safer, not fight over it.The G7 meeting was all about getting important minerals that countries need but don't have enough of. These minerals are super important for things like phones and cars. China controls a lot of these minerals, and that's a problem for other countries. Klingbeil said Germany wants to work with other countries to get these minerals without relying too much on China. He thinks it's important for countries to team up and make sure they have what they need. China has a huge part of the market for these minerals. They refine a lot of the copper, lithium, cobalt, graphite, and rare earths that the world needs. This makes other countries nervous because they don't want to depend too much on China. Klingbeil said Germany wants to work with other countries to make sure they have enough of these minerals and that the rules are fair.