Recently The New York Times reported the following:
Despite Trump’s Words, China and Russia Are Not
Threatening Greenland (1/2)
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.
By 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.
Jan. 24, 2026
Updated 8:19 a.m. ET
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.”
“It’s been our policy for hundreds of years to prevent outside threats from entering our hemisphere, and we’ve done it very successfully,” he added.
At a meeting on Jan. 14 in Washington, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio asked the Danish foreign minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, and the foreign minister of Greenland, Vivian Motzfeldt, whether Denmark had the resources to protect Greenland against any potential future threat from China, Mr. Rasmussen said in an interview.
However, Mr. Trump and his aides have not presented any intelligence that points to Chinese threats to Greenland.
China has increased its collaboration with Russia on maritime patrols and long-range bomber patrols in the vast Arctic region, said Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, the top NATO commander in Europe. But allied officials say there is no looming threat, and in any case Greenland falls under the NATO security umbrella.
If any problems were to emerge, the United States could expand its military presence in Greenland under a 1951 U.S.-Denmark pact. Denmark, which has sovereignty over the autonomous island, has said it would welcome more American troops. The United States had about 10,000 troops in Greenland during the Cold War, 50 times more than the 200 there now.
Although China does have a long-term goal of projecting naval power globally, it is focused on building up its military for deployment mainly in the Asia-Pacific region, where it is vying with the United States for dominance.
“Regarding China, there’s no military activity near Greenland,” said John Culver, a former intelligence analyst on China who briefed Mr. Trump in his first term. “If this administration had any intel about actual threats, it would be leaked.”
“I’ve never read anything that shows China has military designs on Greenland,” he added.
Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat who receives regular briefings from U.S. intelligence officials, expressed a similar view.
“Let me be clear: As vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I’m closely tracking the facts, and there is no current military threat from Russia or China to Greenland,” he said on Thursday in a statement to The New York Times. “The only immediate threat right now is from the United States, with talk of taking territory from one of our closest allies.”
“Denmark has been clear: If we want expanded military access or greater cooperation on critical minerals, they’re open to it, but it must be done in partnership, not through intimidation and saber rattling,” Mr. Warner added. “When we create chaos with our allies, we weaken America’s ability to meet real global threats and make ourselves less safe.”
(to be continued)
Translation
儘管特朗普發表了格陵蘭相關言論，但中國和俄羅斯並未對它有威脅（1/2）
美國和歐洲官員表示，他們沒有收到任何情報顯示中國和俄羅斯正在危害這座受北約安全保護的島嶼
十四年前，一艘名為「雪龍號」的中國破冰船完成了一次漫長而令人驚訝的航行。
在夏季的三個月多時間裡，這艘科考船從太平洋橫渡到大西洋，航行了近5400海裡，穿越了北冰洋，這在當時是中國的首次航行。探險隊長在冰島靠岸後告訴記者，船員發現，冰層的融化意味著這艘船可以毫不費力地穿越這片偏遠地區。
領導人Huigen Yang說道:“令我們驚訝的是”，“北方航道的大部分路段都已可通行。”
當時，美國和歐洲官員注意到了這一點，並開始密切關注中國在北極的動向。
但儘管中國一直聲稱要擴大北極地區的貿易，並獲取航道和自然資源，但多年來，中國在北極的實際存在卻微乎其微。專家們，包括情報分析人士在內的現任和前任美國官員表示，即使中國和俄羅斯在世界許多地區與美國競爭，它們也不會對美國在格陵蘭島及其周邊地區的利益構成威脅。
這些結論與特朗普總統的說法截然相反。特朗普曾多次以安全為由，聲稱他想獲得格陵蘭島。在周三於瑞士達沃斯舉行的年度論壇上，他發表講話稱格陵蘭島是一個“巨大的、不安全的島嶼”，是“美國的核心國家安全利益”。
他補充道:「數百年來，我們的政策一直是阻止外部威脅進入西半球，而且我們在這方面做得非常成功」。
丹麥外交大臣Lars Lokke Rasmussen在接受在一個採訪時曾表示，1月14日在華盛頓舉行的一次會議上，副總統萬斯和國務卿盧比奧詢問Rasmussen和格陵蘭外交大臣Vivian Motzfeldt，丹麥是否有資源保護格陵蘭免受來自中國的任何潛在威脅。
然而，特朗普及其助手並未提供任何情報顯示中國對格陵蘭構成威脅。
北約歐洲最高指揮官Alexus G. Grynkewich將軍表示，中國加強了與俄羅斯在廣大的北極地區海上巡邏和遠程轟炸機巡邏的合作。但盟國官員表示，目前不存在迫在眉睫的威脅，而且格陵蘭無論如何都處於北約的安全保護傘之下。
如果出現任何問題，美國可以根據1951年美丹條約擴大在格陵蘭的軍事存在。丹麥對這座自治島嶼擁有主權，並表示歡迎更多美軍駐紮。冷戰期間，美國在格陵蘭駐紮了約1萬名士兵，是目前駐紮在那裡的200人的50倍。
儘管中國確實有在全球範圍內投射海軍力量的長期目標，但它目前專注於增強軍事實力，主要部署在亞太地區，與美國爭奪該地區的主導地位。
曾擔任中國問題情報分析師並在特朗普第一任期內向其匯報的John
Culver說道: 「關於中國，它在格陵蘭附近沒有任何軍事活動」; 「如果本屆政府掌握任何關於實際威脅的情報，是會洩露出去了」。
他補充道:「我從未讀到任何表明中國對格陵蘭島有軍事野心的資料」。
維珍尼亞州民主黨參議員Mark Warner定期聽取美國情報官員的簡報，他也表達了類似的觀點。
他週四在給《紐約時報》的聲明中表示:「我要明確指出：作為參議院情報委員會副主席，我密切關注著事實，目前俄羅斯或中國對格陵蘭島沒有構成任何軍事威脅」; 「目前唯一迫在眉睫的威脅來自美國，他們揚言要從我們最親密的盟友之一手中奪取領土」。
Warner 補充道: 「丹麥已經明確表示：如果我們想要擴大軍事准入或在關鍵礦產方面加強合作，他們持開放態度，但這必須透過夥伴關係來實現，而不是透過恐嚇和武力威脅」; 「當我們與盟友製造混亂時，這削弱了美國應對真正全球威脅的能力，也讓我們自身變得更加不安全」。
（待續）
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