China Issues Warning To Trump Administration Asking Not To Quote China In Greenland Annexation.

Beijing; January 2026: China has warned the United States on 12th January 2026 not to use other countries as a “pretext” for its ambitions in Greenland, saying its activities in the Arctic comply with international law and aim to promote peace and stability.

The statement from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning came after President Donald Trump renewed his push for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on 11th January, that Washington must “take Greenland” to prevent Russia or China from gaining control, adding he would prefer to “make a deal” but insisted, “one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland”.

Tensions have escalated this month among Washington, Copenhagen and Nuuk as the White House weighs options, including military force to secure the vast Arctic island. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that an American takeover would mark the end of NATO.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and leaders of four other parties issued a joint statement Friday asserting that the island’s future “must be decided by its people” and urging the U.S. to end its “contempt” for the territory.

China, which declared itself a “near-Arctic state” in 2018, has sought greater influence in the region through its Belt and Road Initiative and plans for a “Polar Silk Road”. When asked by media personnel on Monday, 12^th January, about US claims that Greenland must be taken to block Chinese and Russian control, Mao said Beijing’s Arctic activities are “in accordance with international law” and focused on “peace, stability, and sustainable development”. She did not detail those activities.

“The rights and freedoms of all countries to conduct activities in the Arctic in accordance with the law should be fully respected”, Mao said, without mentioning Greenland directly. “The US should not pursue its own interests by using other countries as a pretext”. She added that “the Arctic concerns the overall interests of the international community”.

Diplomatic efforts continue as Danish and Greenlandic envoys prepare for talks in Washington this week. Meanwhile, US senators are also planning a visit to Denmark amid growing friction over the administration’s Arctic strategy.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly argued that acquiring Greenland would strengthen US national security and prevent rivals like China and Russia from gaining a strategic foothold in the Arctic. The island’s location offers military advantages, including expanded radar and missile defense capabilities, and access to shipping lanes that are opening as polar ice melts. Trump has framed the move as essential to maintaining US influence in a region he says is critical for global power competition.

The US President’s assertion comes after the Chinese Government in April 2025 had affirmed that, Greenland’s foreign minister has said it is seeking deeper cooperation with China and potentially a free trade agreement. The comments were made by Vivian Motzfeldt, Greenland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Independency. “China is very important to us, and we are eager to strengthen our cooperation”, Motzfeldt had said officially.

Motzfeldt said she had made a memorable trip to China in 2023 and noted that China was already one of Greenland’s largest markets for seafood exports. Motzfeldt formally opened Greenland’s representative office in Beijing in 2023 within the Danish embassy.

In a testimony to Congress in February 2025, Alexander B. Gray, a Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington and a senior security official in President Trump’s first administration said, “The security stakes are simply too high to allow Greenland to obtain liberty void of a plan in place for the U.S. to ensure our core strategic interests are assured”.

Team Maverick.