China Rejects US Greenland Moves, Defends Arctic Rights as Lawful | The GPM

China on Monday cautioned the United States against leveraging other nations as a pretext to advance its self-serving agenda in Greenland, while firmly defending its own Arctic engagements as fully compliant with international law. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian delivered this pointed message amid escalating superpower jostling over the resource-laden island, responding to recent US congressional pushes for annexation led by Republican Randy Fine. Beijing positioned itself as a responsible stakeholder, urging restraint and multilateralism over unilateral grabs that risk destabilizing the fragile polar region.The timing sharpens longstanding frictions. Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory covering 2.16 million square kilometers with just 57,000 residents, captivates global powers as melting ice unveils rare earth minerals, oil reserves, and strategic shipping routes. Fine's bill proposes negotiating a purchase from Denmark or applying economic pressure, eyeing statehood down the line for military basing and resource security. China views this as classic American hegemony, cloaked in rhetoric about protecting allies from rivals like itself. Lin Jian stressed that Greenland's affairs belong to its people and Denmark, not distant capitals plotting takeovers.China's Arctic footprint has grown steadily since gaining observer status in the Arctic Council in 2013. Beijing brands itself a near-Arctic state, investing in research stations, icebreakers like the Xue Long 2, and commercial ventures from fishing quotas to mineral exploration. Projects in Greenland include bids for mining rights in Kvanefjeld for uranium and rare earths, alongside infrastructure loans that drew local debate. These align with the Polar Silk Road vision, extending Belt and Road connectivity to northern latitudes. Critics in the West decry debt traps and dual-use facilities, but China insists transparency and mutual benefit guide every step, adhering to UNCLOS and Arctic Council norms.The US perspective casts Chinese activities as insidious encroachment. Washington worries about dual-use research stations doubling as listening posts, investments giving Beijing leverage over critical minerals where it already dominates 90 percent of global supply, and merchant ships paving way for naval presence. Trump's 2019 buy-Greenland tweet revived expansionist echoes, now formalized in Congress amid Russian militarization and Chinese port deals worldwide. Fine argues annexation secures US primacy, blocking foes from Arctic gateways vital for missile defense and trade routes shortened by climate shifts.Denmark finds itself squeezed. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen rejected Trump's overtures outright before, calling them absurd, yet welcomes investment amid fiscal strains from welfare and climate adaptation costs. Nuuk's government balances autonomy aspirations with economic needs, rejecting full sales but courting partners. Chinese firms faced pushback over environmental lapses, yet persist through joint ventures.Broader Arctic chess unfolds rapidly. Russia fortifies its 53 percent territorial claim with 40 icebreakers and hypersonic missiles; Norway guards Svalbard; Canada eyes Northwest Passage sovereignty. NATO's 2024 Arctic strategy flags China as a challenger, prompting joint exercises like Nordic Response. Beijing counters by deepening ties with Moscow, signing energy pacts and co-developing polar tech, while framing US moves as disruptive to consensus-based governance.For Greenlanders, stakes feel immediate. Inuits prioritize sustainable development over great power games, fearing pollution from hasty mining and cultural dilution from influxes. Unemployment hovers at 10 percent, subsidies from Copenhagen dwindle, and youth migrate south. Chinese scholarships and tourism offer lifelines, but locals demand veto power over megaprojects.This verbal volley signals deepening divides. China leverages diplomacy to portray itself as steady hand versus US adventurism, buying goodwill in Global South forums. America rallies allies through AUKUS and Quad extensions, pitching collective security. Neither backs down easily; rhetoric hardens as capabilities grow.Greenland, unwitting prize, navigates neutrality. Independence polls climb past 60 percent, tempting offers from all sides. Infrastructure lags, airports crumble, ports freeze; whoever funds modernization gains edge.Lin Jian's words underscore Beijing's playbook: claim moral high ground, cite law, invest quietly. US rebuttals will follow, likely accusing duplicity. As ice recedes, competition heats, testing treaties forged in Cold War thaw.The Arctic, once cooperative frontier, morphs into contested domain. China's warning to America resonates beyond Greenland, a template for pushback in Africa, Pacific, Latin America. Superpowers circle; locals brace. In zero-sum north, every foothold foreshadows flashpoints ahead.