THE NEW YORK TIMES:
U.S. and European officials say they are unaware of any intelligence that shows China and Russia are endangering the island, which is protected by the NATO security umbrella.
Fourteen years ago, a Chinese icebreaker called the Snow Dragon made a long and surprising voyage.
Over three months in the summer, the scientific research vessel
crossed from the Pacific to the Atlantic, traversing nearly 5,400 nautical miles of the Arctic Ocean, a first for China. The crew discovered that melting ice meant the ship could travel through the remote region without great difficulty, the expedition leader
told reporters after docking in Iceland.
“To our astonishment,” said the leader, Huigen Yang, “most part of the Northern Sea Route is open.”
American and European officials took notice at the time and began keeping a close watch on China’s moves in the Arctic.
But while China has talked about expanding trade and access to shipping lanes and natural resources in the Arctic, it has developed only a small footprint there over the years. And even as China and Russia compete with the United States in many parts of the world, they do not present a threat to American interests in or near Greenland, say experts on those two superpowers and current and former U.S. officials, including intelligence analysts.
Those findings contrast sharply with assertions by President Trump, who has repeatedly cited security as the reason he wants to acquire Greenland. In a speech on Wednesday at an annual forum in Davos, Switzerland, he said Greenland was an “enormous, unsecured island” that was a “core national security interest of the United States of America.”
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Edward Wong | Edward Wong reports from Washington on U.S. foreign policy and is a former Beijing bureau chief for The Times who has a written a book about China. | Saturday, January 24, 2026
Does anyone really believe the poppycock that Greenland’s security is momentarily endangered by Russia or China?
Trump wants Greenland for ONE main reason, and for one MAIN reason only: He wants to ENRICH HIMSELF and PROFIT. That’s all he ever seems to want to do anyway. I don’t believe that Trump is working for the good of the American people; rather, I believe he is working for the good of himself, his family, and his cronies. Where there is money involved, he’s there! Trump is not far away.
Trump is a climate change denier. But, ironically, it is because of climate change that so many treasures are going to be made available for mining/ The more the earth warms, the greater the treasures made available for exploitation: rare earths, gold, minerals, and significant oil and gas reserves, and much else besides, yet unknown. It’s a treasure trove that would benefit Trump, the usurper. That’s why he wants Greenland, and for little else. Had it not been for climate change, I doubt that Trump would even have uttered the word Greenland!
Fact is, a known crook has been re-elected to the White House, and that crook is using his presidency as a cash cow. That’s the long and the short of it. However, he must not be allowed to have ANY sovereignty over Greenland. Greenland and its vast riches belong to the Greenlanders and the Danes and to nobody else. — © Mark Alexander
