China rejects Trump’s pretext about Greenland and denies it is a threat

China rejected this Thursday (22) the “Chinese threat” narrative mobilized by the United States and NATO around Greenland and accused Donald Trump’s government of using unfounded pretexts to justify strategic and economic interests in the Arctic.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Wednesday (21) that “the so-called ‘Chinese threat’ is baseless” and declared that Beijing opposes “the practice of making unfounded accusations and using China as a pretext for selfish gains.”

Jiakun highlighted that the conduct of relations between countries must respect “the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations”.

Asked by the BBC about the Chinese interpretation of the worsening of tensions between the United States and Europe over Greenland, Jiakun stated that, regardless of developments in the international scenario, the conduct of relations between countries must respect “the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations”.

The spokesperson stated that China pursues an independent and peaceful foreign policy, declared that Beijing “has no intention of and will not compete for influence with any country” and said that the country seeks to remain a “positive and stable force” in international relations.

Beijing’s reaction comes in the face of the intensification, in recent weeks, of the Trump administration’s political offensive to annex Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory under Danish sovereignty.

Trump claims that the United States “needs” the island for national security reasons, while NATO maintains that China and Russia should not have access to the territory’s economy or military infrastructure.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said in Davos during a World Economic Forum side event that “we will make sure that the Chinese and the Russians do not gain access to Greenland’s economy nor to Greenland from a military point of view.”

Analysts point out that the advance of melting ice in the Arctic has increased the United States’ interest in the region, by opening new maritime routes and enhancing the exploration of natural resources.

Greenland, in particular, is cited as a strategic area for concentrating mineral reserves, but also for its position on routes that, with the ice retreat, can significantly reduce navigation time between Asia and Europe, making some journeys faster than the traditional route through the Suez Canal.

It is in this context that the Chinese government accuses Washington of acting based on its own interests by mobilizing the “Chinese threat” narrative.

According to Beijing, the use of unfounded accusations regarding security in the Arctic works as a pretext for the dispute for strategic and economic advantages, without China representing a competitive threat to the region.