Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday that Canada and China share “much alignment” on the issue of Greenland’s sovereignty, pushing back against repeated threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to assert American control over the Arctic territory.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Carney said he discussed Greenland with Xi Jinping, including Arctic sovereignty and the rights of the people of Greenland and Denmark. He said both leaders agreed that Greenland’s future should be determined by its people.
Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, a NATO ally. Carney reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to NATO, including its collective defence obligations under Article 5.
Trump has repeatedly argued that the United States needs control of Greenland for national security reasons and has warned of tariffs against countries opposing his plans. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Washington would like to buy the island, a proposal firmly rejected by both Danish and Greenlandic officials. Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that a U.S. takeover would effectively end NATO.
Trump has also claimed that Russia or China would attempt to seize Greenland if the U.S. does not act — a claim disputed by Arctic experts. China, which calls itself a “near-Arctic state,” has expanded its regional presence, including joint military exercises with Russia near Canadian territory and Alaska.
Canada’s 2024 defence policy warned of growing Chinese and Russian ambitions in the Arctic, though it was released before Carney took office and began a broader reset of Canada–China relations. Carney said Friday that Canada has since increased its Arctic military presence to operate year-round on land, sea and air.
European allies have recently deployed troops to Greenland in coordination with Denmark. While the Canadian Armed Forces are not launching new missions, Defence Minister David McGuinty’s office said Canada is involved in joint operations with European partners, including in Greenland.
Carney also confirmed Canada will open a consulate in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, next month and said Ottawa is working closely with Denmark through NATO and the Nordic-Baltic Eight group.
Carney’s visit to Beijing this week, and his earlier meeting with Xi in Korea last October, marked the first leader-level engagement between Canada and China since 2017. Following their meeting, the two countries announced an agreement to sharply reduce tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and Canadian agricultural exports, with Ottawa and Beijing describing themselves as strong supporters of multilateralism .