(Ecns.cn)--In early September, Huang Nubo, China's 161st richest person, was reportedly planning to buy 300 square kilometers of Iceland, equal to about 0.3% of the country's total area, for an eco-tourism project that would include a golf course and a tourist resort. Huang offered $8.8 million for the deal and would invest about $92 million to develop the land, a move that has raised concerns about possible ulterior motives.
Entrepreneur or cadre?
Huang is chairman of the Zhongkun Investment Group, which owns resorts and tourist facilities across China and abroad. He is also reported to have worked as a minister in the Central Propaganda Department and the Ministry of Construction.
Foreign media speculated that the project would provide geopolitical benefits for China, as Iceland occupies a strategically important location between Europe and North America and has been touted as a potential hub for Asian cargo should climate change open Arctic waters to shipping.
At this, Huang argued during an exclusive interview with China Newsweek that "I am just a private entrepreneur. How can I be able to act on behalf of the country?"
He analyzed that Iceland is rich in natural resources, but lacks foreign investment. Almost none of its NATO allies have shown interest in developing those abundant resources, Huang said, which provides a good opportunity for China.
Speaking of its culture, Huang pointed out that Iceland is a harmonious country ruled by law. "They attach great importance to the spirit of a contract. Once the deal is done, they will honor it," he said.
"Its people are also highly educated. Even pirates are able to write poetry," Huang added, laughing.
Huang further explained that he was listed by Forbes as a billionaire, ranking No. 129 among the top 400 richest Chinese, which proves that he is not an official, since only businessmen and capitalists are qualified for the ranking.
It was company strategy, Huang continued, that had driven him to buy the land. Besides, Iceland is a beautiful and poetic country, he added, making it an ideal landscape for a poet such as myself.
