18 January 2026, 15:25

How a U.S. grab for Greenland could target China, an expert explains

Reuters

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MINSK, 18 January (BelTA) – A U.S. seizure of Greenland could block a vital trade corridor for China, Elena Ponomareva, Doctor of Political Science, Professor at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), said in the latest episode of the V Teme [On Point] project on BelTA’s YouTube channel.

The political scientist explained that the situation surrounding Greenland implicates the interests not only of the U.S. and Russia, but also those of China. “We must not forget that Greenland also means control over the Northern Sea Route,” she noted. “China has largely lost the investments it made in the famous Belt and Road Initiative, which sought to connect all of Eurasia via land through Europe. Naturally, it is interested in using the Northern Sea Route. Russia alone is also not capable of establishing the so-called Polar Silk Road. We could, but it is prohibitively expensive. It is still better to do it together. As a result, any investment in this route is already becoming toxic, very complicated. Thus, China is being pushed out of the Arctic at the very start of this project.”

“So what are the United States aiming to do?” Elena Ponomareva continued. “They want to monitor the Northern Fleet [of the Russian Federation], they want to legally inherit Denmark’s claims to the continental shelf, and they want to control – perhaps initially jointly with Russia – future Arctic logistics. It is no coincidence that many American analysts in various magazines are talking about how we’ve reached a new level of superpower conflict. How many superpowers are there? Essentially three. And even then, we must take into account the fact that China rarely moves politically beyond its own zone. It does expand economically, but politically it almost never overreaches. China’s influence is of a somewhat different nature. And so, it turns out the island is relevant and important.”