It won't be long before a Chinese flag hovers over at the Arctic.

China, the world's second-largest economy and stronghold of the world's supply of rare earths, has just gained legal access into the Arctic region after Denmark opened the gate for the Asian nation to create a strategic foothold in the area, particularly in Greenland.

While other economic leaders continue to pick on China and its expanding presence and assertiveness in most parts of the world, Denmark decided to prioritize and harness its economies ties with China by giving the latter a seat at the Arctic policy table.

China, according to Friis Arne Peterson, the Danish ambassador to China, has "natural and legitimate economic and scientific interests in the Arctic," Andrew Erickson and Gabe Collins wrote in The Wall Street Journal.

What's more mind-blowing, China is said to be supported gaining permanent membership on the Arctic Council, a forum composed of eight nations including the U.S., Canada, Denmark, Norway and Russia, as well as Sweden, Iceland and Finland.

Denmark knows China would be readily available to lunge on the opportunity to breech Greenland, all because of the substantial deposits of minerals found there, including rare earths, uranium, iron ore, lead, zinc, petroleum, and gemstones. Of the eight-member Arctic Council, it is Copenhagen that manages and oversees the foreign policies over Greenland. A perfect guise to bolster the China-Denmark trade relationship. A trade mission made by Greenland to China in November relatively sealed the partnership.

In 2010, according to figures provided by the Danish embassy in Beijing gathered by The Wall Street Journal, Denmark's exports to China grew 17 per cent, worth $2.6 billion, while Chinese exports to Denmark jumped 25 per cent, or $6.9 billion. China's imports of Danish goods were a far cry to what Denmark imported from China.

To increase trade, Denmark knows the minerals under Greenland's snow are its real leverage, "worth far more in both monetary and strategic terms to China than the imported goods or export market Denmark itself can provide," Erickson and Collins wrote.

With its vast resources, Greenland knows it needs China's money, support and expertise simply because it does not have the ability to develop mineral resources independently.

A number of entities already are present in Greenland. Sinosteel and China Communications Construction Corp.'s London Mining targets to produce 15 million tonnes per year of high grade iron ore pellets by 2015 at the Isua project. While the Kvanefjeld deposit, which has the potential to also influence global prices, could produce 20 per cent of the global rare earth supply and large amounts of uranium with first production scheduled in 2016, according to Greenland Minerals and Energy.