Nuuk (Greenland), 12 January (LaPresse/AP) – ‘The United States should not use other countries as a pretext to pursue its own interests in Greenland.’ This was stated by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning in response to questions about Donald Trump's statements that Washington needs to take control of Greenland to prevent China and Russia from doing so. ‘China's activities in the Arctic are aimed at promoting peace, stability and sustainable development in the region and are in accordance with international law,’ the spokeswoman said, without providing details of those activities. ‘The rights and freedoms of all countries to carry out activities in the Arctic in accordance with the law should be fully respected,’ she continued without explicitly mentioning Greenland, adding that ‘the Arctic concerns the overall interests of the international community.’ In 2018, China declared itself a ‘near-Arctic state’ in an attempt to gain greater influence in the region. Beijing has also announced plans to build a “Polar Silk Road” as part of its global Belt and Road initiative, which has created economic ties with countries around the world. Envoys from Denmark and Greenland are expected in Washington this week for talks, and plans are also being finalised for a visit by US senators to Denmark.
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