China Issues Blunt Warning Over Donald Trump's Greenland Talk

The U.S. shouldn't use other countries as a “pretext” to pursue its interests in the semiautonomous region of Denmark, said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

NUUK, Greenland (AP) — China said Monday that the United States shouldn’t use other countries as a “pretext” to pursue its interests in Greenland and said that its activities in the Arctic comply with international law.

The comment by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson came in response to a question at a regular daily briefing. U.S. President Donald Trump has said that he would like to make a deal to acquire Greenland, a semiautonomous region of NATO ally Denmark, to prevent Russia or China from taking it over.

Tensions have grown between Washington, Denmark and Greenland this month as Trump and his administration push the issue and the White House considers a range of options, including military force, to acquire the vast Arctic island.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that an American takeover of Greenland would mark the end of NATO. On Friday, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and the leaders of the four other parties in the territory’s parliament issued a joint statement reiterating that Greenland’s future must be decided by its people and emphasizing their “wish that the United States’ contempt for our country ends.”

Trump reiterated his argument that the U.S. needs to “take Greenland,” otherwise Russia or China would, in comments aboard Air Force One on Sunday. He said he’d rather “make a deal” for the territory, “but one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland.”