Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned today that the decision on who owns Greenland does not belong to US President Donald Trump and that Canada, as a NATO member, will support Denmark.
"The future of Greenland is a decision for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark," Carney said at a press conference in Beijing after talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Politico reports.
Carney called on NATO allies, including the US, to "honor their obligations", while stressing his support for Danish sovereignty over the strategically important Arctic island that Trump is threatening to take.
"We are NATO partners with Denmark, so our full partnership stands," Karni said.
"Our commitment to Article Five, Article 2 of NATO stands, and we stand fully behind that," he added.
Article 5 of the NATO Charter is a key provision on collective defense, stating that an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all, committing members to mutual defense, while Article 2 refers to the importance of economic cooperation and the strengthening of democratic institutions as a foundation for stability, calling on members to resolve international disputes peacefully and to assist each other in economic development.
The topic of Greenland has come to the forefront again after Trump's escalating rhetoric about American interests in the Arctic, which has exacerbated tensions between Washington and the EU.
Trump reiterated yesterday that America "really needs" Greenland.
"If we don't get in, Russia will do it and China will do it. And Denmark can't do anything about it, but we can do everything about it," Trump said.
Denmark has announced that it will increase its military presence in the Arctic region and the North Atlantic Ocean, as Trump tries to justify the US taking control of Greenland by claiming that the Chinese and Russians have their own intentions towards Greenland.
Talks between representatives of Denmark and Greenland with senior US officials in Washington on Wednesday ended with the conclusion that there is a "fundamental disagreement" between the two sides, and it was agreed to form a working group with the Americans to try to resolve differences over Greenland.
Carney said that Greenland and Arctic sovereignty were also topics of his talks with Chinese President Xi and that he "found a lot of agreement on that issue."
Carney: China has become a more predictable partner than the US, tariff reduction agreed
Canada has agreed to cut 100 percent of tariffs on Chinese electric cars in exchange for lower tariffs on Canadian agricultural products, Carney said today.
He made the announcement after two days of meetings with Chinese authorities. He said there would be an initial annual limit of 49.000 vehicles on Chinese electric vehicle exports to Canada, rising to about 70.000 over the next five years.
China will reduce tariffs on canola seed, one of Canada's main exports, from 84 percent to about 15 percent, he told reporters.
Carney said that China has become a more predictable partner for cooperation than the United States, Canada's neighbor and longtime ally.
"Our relationship with China has been evolving in recent months. It's much more predictable and you see the results coming from that," Carney said.
He failed to reach an agreement with US President Donald Trump to reduce some tariffs that burden key sectors of the Canadian economy, and Trump previously threatened that Canada could become the 51st US state.
The prime minister, speaking in front of a traditional pavilion and frozen lake in a Beijing park, said the meetings in China had been "historic and productive".
Earlier today, he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged to improve their countries' relations after years of disagreements.
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