A Chinese tycoon's bid to buy a vast tract of land for construction of a US$100m theme park in Iceland has come under fire, with sceptics saying the deal is really aimed at gaining a strategic foothold in the North Atlantic.
According to online reports, Huang Nubo, a property investor and former government official, has signed a provisional deal to acquire 300sq.km of wilderness in north-east Iceland - nearly 0.3 per cent of the country - as the site for an eco-tourism resort and gold course.
Opponents say the project, which is close to a deep-water port, could provide China with a strategic land holding between Europe and North America, as well as a potential hub for Asian cargo should global warming open Arctic waters to shipping.
People close to Huang, the chairman of Zhongkun Property and a former propaganda department official, say his purchase is motivated by a love of nature; Huang has had ties with Iceland since sharing a room at Peking University with an Icelandic student in the 70s, they said.
