Asian-News.net is your go-to online destination for comprehensive coverage of major news across Asia. From politics and business to culture and technology, we bring you the latest updates, deep analyses, and critical insights from every corner of the continent. Featuring exclusive interviews, high-quality photos, and engaging videos, we keep you informed on the breaking news and significant events shaping Asia. Stay connected with us to get a 24/7 update on the most important stories and trends. Our daily updates ensure that you never miss a beat on the happenings in Asia's diverse nations. Whether it's a political shift in China, economic development in India, technological advancements in Japan, or cultural events in Southeast Asia, Asian-News.net has it covered. Dive into the world of Asian news with us and stay ahead in understanding this dynamic and vibrant region.

Contacts

  • <asian-news.net

Putting a price tag on Greenland

It’s unlikely you’ve missed the story. In recent weeks, US President-elect Donald Trump has again repeatedly voiced his desire for the United States to take “ownership and control” of Greenland – an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Trump first floated the idea of the US buying Greenland back in 2019. At the time, he argued, quite correctly, that he was not the first US president to come up with the idea.

Modern-day territory sales are rare. Whether Trump will revive them remains to be seen. But the question is intriguing – how would one decide what to offer for an entire state, territory or nation?

Not a new idea

Greenland’s strategic position has been of great value to the US since the early days of the Cold War.

In 1946, then-President Harry Truman offered to buy the Danish territory for US$100 million in gold. It is reported the Danes had much the same reaction to that offer as they did in 2019, and again in 2025: “No, thank you.”

One sovereign nation buying territory from another may seem strange today, but there are many instances where this has happened over time.

The US purchased much of its Western expansion in the early 19th century.

This included the “Louisiana Purchase”, vast swathes of land in North America, bought from France in 1803 for US$15 million (an estimated $416 million in 2024 figures).

About half a century later, the US paid Mexico for large amounts of territory after the Mexican-American War. The US also bought Alaska from Russia in 1867, for $7.2 million (over $150 million today).

And it bought the US Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917 for $25 million (over $600 million today) in gold coin.

It isn’t just the US. Japan, Pakistan, Russia, Germany and Saudi Arabia have all purchased

Read more on asiatimes.com
DMCA