U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed threat to take control of Greenland has raised alarm in Beijing, following Washington’s military operation that seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Trump, who has long advocated U.S. control over the self-governing Danish territory, repeatedly emphasized on Sunday that Greenland is strategically important.
“We need Greenland from a national security situation. It’s so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
In an email to Chinese state media Xinhua News Agency, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Trump views acquiring Greenland as a national security priority to deter rivals in the Arctic. She added that his team is weighing a range of options — including the possibility of using military force.
Chinese authorities have pushed back. On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian criticized Washington for “using the so-called ‘China threat’ as a pretext for itself to seek selfish gains.”
