Beijing to focus on maintaining its \u2018constructive relationship with US\u2019 and does not need to \u2018disrupt that over Greenland\u2019, say experts.<\/b>
\nChina will closely monitor developments in Greenland as it seeks to become an important player in Arctic affairs. Still, Beijing is unlikely to respond with any major action in the near future to counter US President Donald Trump\u2019s bid to annex the island, analysts said.
\u201cThe Arctic is certainly a central matter for policy for China, and they know it\u2019s going to be important in the future, especially with climate change,\u201d said Eurasia Group\u2019s China practice head, David Meale.
In his escalated threats to take control of Greenland for the US, Trump has repeatedly cited the increasing presence of China and Russia in the Arctic as justifications for his plans. He has been moving to strengthen American dominance in the western hemisphere as part of his new national security strategy announced last month.
\u201cChina is certainly absorbing this and thinking very carefully about it,\u201d Meale said. \u201cBeing singled out in that way in the context of the Arctic has to register.\u201d
China has pushed back against Trump\u2019s warnings about its growing influence in the Arctic. Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a press conference on Thursday that \u201cthe so-called \u2018China threat\u2019 was groundless\u201d, and that China opposed \u201cfabricating baseless narratives and using China as a pretext for seeking selfish gains\u201d.
Beijing\u2019s reaction to Trump\u2019s push to seize Greenland has been relatively muted compared to its strong condemnation of US actions against Venezuela.<\/p>\n