Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian

When asked to respond to US President Donald Trump's reported claims that the US needs Greenland and one of the reasons he gave was because it is "covered with Chinese ships," Chinese Foreign spokesperson Lin Jian on Monday urged the US to stop using the so-called "China threat" as a pretext for itself to seek selfish gains.

In a phone interview with The Atlantic magazine on Sunday local time, Trump claimed that Venezuela may not be the last country subject to American intervention and that the US "absolutely" needs Greenland for defense. 

Speaking to reporters on Sunday night, Trump was asked about his comments on Greenland, to which he reiterated, "We need Greenland from a national security situation. It's so strategic right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security and Denmark is not going to be able to do it," according to NPR.

The US' claims over Greenland, in an attempt to redirect international attention toward China, cannot change the nature of his new Monroe Doctrine policies, nor can they hinder China from developing normal economic and trade relations with countries around the world, Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday.

Trump's claim of US "absolutely" needing Greenland for defense has also met with immediate opposition from leaders of Denmark and Greenland, who urged the US to stop threatening to take over the Danish territory.

"It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the US needing to take over Greenland. The US has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement on Sunday, Reuters reported. 

Trump claimed during the interview with the magazine that it was up to others to decide what US-military action in Venezuela means for Greenland, per Xinhua. "You know, I wasn't referring to Greenland at that time. But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense."

Trump made the above-mentioned remarks after the US forcibly seized the Venezuelan president and his wife and claimed Washington would run the Latin American country, Reuters highlighted in the report. This has raised concerns in Denmark that the same could happen to Greenland, a Danish territory, read the report. 

Frederiksen said, "I would therefore strongly urge the US stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people, who have very clearly said that they are not for sale," Reuters reported. 

The prime minister of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said in a statement on Sunday: "When the President of the US says that 'we need Greenland' and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it's not just wrong. It's disrespectful."

Previously on Saturday, Katie Miller, wife of President Trump's deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, posted a picture of the American flag covering Greenland on X. She captioned the photo with the word "SOON", the report by NPR said.

Throughout last year, Trump frequently repeated the same call for the US to take over Greenland, which triggered strong objections from the territory, Denmark and the European Union.

The Trump administration has cited a combination of national security concerns, Arctic strategy, and the potential of critical minerals and natural resources as drivers of US interest in controlling Greenland.

Located in a strategically vital position in the Arctic, Greenland occupies a critically important geostrategic hub and is rich in a wide variety of mineral resources, making it a long-coveted strategic target for the US — a pursuit that has intensified since Trump took office, Zhao Junjie, a senior research fellow at the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday. 

Zhao said that with European leaders already strongly opposed to Trump's proposals regarding Greenland, the US' forcible seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife — a blatant violation of a sovereign nation's integrity — has significantly heightened European concerns and vigilance, leaving Denmark and the broader EU even more alarmed, Zhao added.

This situation may exert pressure and compels them to close ranks, leading to a more unified European stance on the Greenland issue, the expert noted.

Maduro was taken by US forces away from his country on Saturday and is now in custody in New York to stand trial on alleged drug charges, media reported. The international community is deeply shocked by the Trump administration's raid on Venezuela and Maduro. Many countries have issued statements strongly condemning the blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president.