Trump renews Greenland’s national security demand at NATO summit
Former Deputy National Security Adviser Victoria Coates analyzes the historic NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where the alliance’s defense spending increased dramatically under a new policy framework. Coates details the strategic impact of America’s recent military response directed at the 80’s against Iranian forces, reveals why strong control over Greenland remains a national security red line and explains how the administration’s foreign policy helped Ukraine’s military gain a stronger foothold.
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China is using control of the world’s oceans as a tool for “political pressure,” the US ambassador to the United Kingdom has warned, as President Donald Trump reiterates his interest in Greenland for the same reason.
China wants to turn ports, shipping and supply chains into tools for geopolitical leverage, US Ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens has warned in a statement to the International Maritime Organization Council (IMO).
“I spoke about a challenge we cannot ignore: China’s systematic effort to use sea power as a tool of political coercion,” Stephens wrote in a Truth Social post after the speech. “Beijing has pursued an aggressive strategy to gain access to ports and infrastructure around the world — not just to gain commercial advantage, but to strategically expand its reach and use that access against sovereign nations.”
The US is “not a bystander in maritime affairs,” Stephens told the IMO, calling America “the cornerstone of the maritime economy.” He said the US Maritime Transportation System supports $5.4 trillion in economic activity each year and nearly 30 million jobs.
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China’s plans for global maritime power have US Ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens sounding the alarm. (Zha Chunming/Xinhua)
The warning comes as Trump continues peace efforts in the Strait of Hormuz and pressures Demark and NATO for US control over Greenland due to Chinese and Russian threats of free navigation in the Arctic.
“Denmark is not spending money to really help Greenland, but it is an important part of the United States, and it is surrounded by Chinese ships and Russian ships,” Trump said at a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.
For global security, Greenland “should be controlled by the United States, not Denmark,” Trump said.
“They wouldn’t go along with it,” Trump said of Denmark. “And with all the money we spend helping them with Russia. And we don’t have to spend any money, we can withdraw all our troops from Europe because, as you may have noticed, Europe is a very different place than it was 20 years ago. Very different.”
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The US ambassador to the UK, Warren Stephens, has issued an urgent warning that China is using global dominance over waterways as a political coercion tool. (Photos by Lucy North/PA via Getty Images)
Greenland’s position between the Arctic and the North Atlantic has made it an important piece of US security planning.
“President Trump has made restoring America’s maritime leadership a top national priority,” Stephens said in remarks at the IMO warning against China’s broader moves.
“The evidence is clear and growing,” Stephens said. “China currently builds more than half of the world’s ships. It is the leading manufacturer of offshore cranes and shipping containers.”
Stephens cited Panama as a recent example, pointing to a Panamanian Supreme Court decision that found CK Hutchison’s port permit at the Balboa and Cristóbal centers unconstitutional. The terminals occupy different parts of the Panama Canal, one of the world’s most important trade routes.
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Stephens said China’s response to Panama’s decision was “swift and punitive,” accusing Beijing of cracking down on Panamanian-flagged vessels in a move the US has described as an attempt to undermine Panamanian sovereignty and disrupt global supply chains.
“What happened in Panama is a warning to all nations in this region,” said Stephens.
“If a country allows a foreign power or its proxies to control its ports, it does not simply accept the trade system,” he added. “Embrace the risk.”
Stephens urged IMO member countries to take a closer look at agreements that allow foreign entities, especially government-linked businesses, to work with important port infrastructure.
“Transparency, law, and real sovereignty are not barriers to commerce,” Stephens said. “They are the foundation of it.”
The ambassador also said that the US will push for maritime security, sanctions enforcement, protection of flag state rights, freedom of navigation and improved standards for polar operations, autonomous ships and cyber risk management.
“The pattern is unchanging: China uses its maritime and economic power to coerce, intimidate, and punish those who assert their independence,” Stephens said.
The Chinese government has long rejected US claims that foreign infrastructure investment is coercive, citing its port, transport and Belt and Road projects as trade ties that support global trade and development.
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Stephens said the US would continue to contribute expertise, resources and leadership to the IMO, but warned that an order based on maritime rules would not be taken lightly.
“A free and open sea is not guaranteed,” he said. “It must be protected.”
