Greenland, Denmark refute Trump's claims of Chinese influence on island

There are no Chinese warships operating in Greenland and no significant Chinese investments in the region, Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in Washington on Wednesday, as he countered US threats to seize the Arctic island.

Rasmussen, together with Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, had an hourlong meeting with US Vice-President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House, the first face-to-face meeting between the high-level officials as Washington's rhetoric of taking full control Greenland has run high.

"It was a great opportunity also for Vivian and I to go up against the narrative, because it is not a true narrative that we have, you know, Chinese warships all around the place," Rasmussen said.

"According to our intelligence, we haven't had a Chinese warship in Greenland for a decade or so," he said.

"There are no Chinese warships along the coast of Greenland ... Nor are there any massive Chinese investments in Greenland," Rasmussen was also cited by AFP as telling the Danish press after talks with US officials.

Despite a "frank and constructive" atmosphere, Rasmussen said that the White House meeting failed to change the US position on Greenland, and that a "fundamental disagreement" persists.

"It's clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland. We made it very, very clear that this is not in the interest of the Kingdom," he said at a news conference.

Motzfeldt said they had clearly defined their boundaries, and that from that point, "it will be very good to look forward".

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that China and Russia are seeking to control Greenland when arguing that the US must take over the island for security concerns.

Hours before the high-stakes meeting between US, Danish and Greenlandic officials started, Trump said on his social media site that the US "needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security."

He added that "NATO should be leading the way for us to get it" and that otherwise Russia or China would — "AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!"

After the talks, Trump again said that Greenland is ​very important for national security, including of Denmark.

"And the problem is there's not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there's everything we ​can do," he told reporters at the Oval Office.

Days before the Washington meeting, Rasmussen noted that the American side is painting "a false picture of what is happening in Greenland".

Speaking after an extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Policy Committee on Jan 6, the Danish foreign minister said that a picture is being painted that there are a lot of Russian and Chinese ships around Greenland, and that China exerts great influence through investments, Greenlandic public broadcaster KNR reported.

"We do not share this image that Greenland is plastered with Chinese investments," Rasmussen said, according to KNR.

In Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that Washington should not use other countries as an excuse to pursue its own interests.

"The Arctic bears on the common interests of the international community. China's activities in the Arctic are aimed at promoting the peace, stability and sustainable development of the region. They are in line with the international law," China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday.

"Countries' right and freedom to carry out activities in the Arctic in accordance with the law needs to be fully respected. The US should not use other countries as a pretext for seeking selfish gains," she said.

Americans across partisan groups largely oppose using US troops to invade Greenland and make it part of the United States, according to the 2025 Chicago Council Survey, fielded July 18-30.

More than nine in 10 Americans oppose using US troops to annex Canada (93 percent) or Greenland (91 percent), with only 7 percent in favor, the polling finds.

huanxinzhao@chinadailyusa.com