SHANGHAI, January 16. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump really intends to seize Greenland amid uncertainty among European countries, a Chinese expert said.

"He [Trump] will definitely make a serious attempt to seize Greenland. Will he succeed? I believe that if the US is determined, it will succeed. Europe is now somewhat similar to the late Qing dynasty. Its mentality has deteriorated; they cry and whine, but it's actually quite useless," said Jin Canrong, a distinguished professor at Renmin University of China's School of International Studies. He added that it would not make much sense for Greenland to rely on the Europeans.

"Trump believes that by returning to traditional power politics, expanding the country's territory, and controlling the Western Hemisphere, he will be able to solve many problems, including economic ones, because Venezuelan oil and Greenland's resources can ensure the security of US Treasury bonds," Jin Canrong said.

The capture of Greenland is important to Trump because of the island's strategic location and rich natural resources, the expert pointed out. In addition, including Greenland in the US would help the Republican Party in the midterm elections, he added. According to Jin Canrong, the world should indeed be wary of "Trump's series of questionable actions," given the US' planned large-scale military spending.

Situation around Greenland

Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to annex Greenland and offered to purchase the island during his first presidential term. Last year, he stated that it could be annexed. On January 4, he claimed that the United States needed control over Greenland for national security reasons. Subsequently, the White House questioned Denmark's right to control the territory and announced that it should become part of the United States.

On January 14, Trump reiterated that the United States was determined to annex Greenland despite Denmark's objections. Greenland is Denmark's autonomous territory. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen signed the Greenland Defense Agreement in addition to their NATO alliance commitments. Under the treaty, the US committed to defend the island from potential aggression.