Photo: VCG

 
US Vice President JD Vance on Friday accused Denmark of failing to protect Greenland from countries like Russia and China and other nations, suggesting the US would be better suited to safeguard the island. Vance's comments are a continuation of Washington's obsession with great-power competition, a Chinese expert said. 

During a visit to the US military base at Pituffik in the north of the Arctic island, Vance said the US has no immediate plans to expand its military presence on the ground but will invest in resources including additional naval ships. He claimed that Denmark has not kept pace and devoted the resources necessary to keep the people of Greenland safe from "very aggressive incursions" from Russia, China and other nations, Reuters reported. 

Vance also claimed that Russia, China and other nations are taking an "extraordinary interest" in Arctic passageways, naval routes and minerals in the region, according to Reuters.

He further asserted that the US has "no option" but to take a leading position in ensuring Greenland's security, while encouraging local calls for independence from Denmark — a move that has previously provoked anger and resistance from Greenlandic lawmakers and residents, according to the Associated Press. 

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen pushed back on Vance's remarks, calling them "unfair." She emphasized Denmark's strong defense commitments in the Arctic, noting new investments in Arctic ships and long-range drones. "We are a good and strong ally," Frederiksen said, adding that Denmark had stood "side by side with Americans" in the war on terror, according to AP.

In Washington, US President Donald Trump on Friday said the US "needs Greenland for international security."

Trump has frequently said that the US has a security imperative to acquire the island, which has been controlled by Denmark since 1721, according to Reuters.

Vance's comments are a continuation of Washington's obsession with great-power competition. The US is using the "China, Russia threat" as a pretext to advance its own strategic ambitions in the Arctic, said Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University.

The US treats Greenland's rich resources and strategic sea routes as part of its geopolitical calculus. Its coercive posture once again reveals Washington's outdated mentality of power politics, Li said.

US' attempt to justify intervention in Greenland by hyping up the "China threat" cannot hide its own greed and opportunism, Li said. "The more Washington slanders China, the clearer it becomes to the world who is undermining the rules-based order."

Asked for comments about greater US control over the Panama Canal and Greenland on March 5, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that on the issue of Greenland, China always believes that relations between countries should be handled in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.