https://www.scmp.com/rss/519233/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US special envoy to Greenland, the Arctic island coveted by President Donald Trump, said on Wednesday that Washington needs to rebuild its presence in the Danish autonomous territory. At the height of the Cold War, Washington had 17 military facilities in Greenland, but closed them over the years and currently has just one – the Pituffik base in the north of the island. Trump has repeatedly argued the US needs to control Greenland because of national security concerns, claiming that if it... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3354290/us-needs-put-its-footprint-back-greenland-trump-envoy-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3354290/us-needs-put-its-footprint-back-greenland-trump-envoy-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 May 2026 21:48:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on Thursday slammed as “indecent” reported attempts by an American to pay locals US$200,000 each to sign a petition calling for Greenland to join the United States. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the US needs to annex the Danish autonomous territory to ensure national security. “A foreign individual is offering money for a signature to incorporate Greenland into another country. That is not just deeply worrying. It is indecent,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352813/greenlands-pm-slams-indecent-bid-buy-locals-signatures-us-adhesion-petition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352813/greenlands-pm-slams-indecent-bid-buy-locals-signatures-us-adhesion-petition?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 17:57:53 +0000 Reuters Reuters Tracy Arm Fjord, in southeastern Alaska ⁠within the Tongass National Forest, presents a majestic vista, with a narrow sea inlet surrounded by towering granite cliffs, waterfalls and glaciers. One morning last year it also was the site of a powerful landslide that triggered a huge localised tsunami. Researchers have now determined that the tsunami on August 10, 2025, was the second-highest ever recorded, with a wave reaching up to 481 metres (1,578 feet) tall – higher than New York City’s Empire... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352711/alaska-2025-tsunami-was-second-highest-ever-taller-empire-state-building?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352711/alaska-2025-tsunami-was-second-highest-ever-taller-empire-state-building?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 06:18:13 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang US President Donald Trump’s landmark visit to China comes as the Iran war disrupts global energy supplies, fuels economic uncertainty and adds fresh strain to Washington-Beijing ties. In the latest part of a series examining how rivalry, interdependence and geopolitical crises are reshaping the relationship between the two powers, we look at the Arctic as an arena for competition. The Arctic is heating up, both physically and in terms of geopolitics. As Arctic warming accelerates and sea ice... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352589/will-warming-arctic-trigger-further-chill-us-china-relations-or-bring-them-closer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352589/will-warming-arctic-trigger-further-chill-us-china-relations-or-bring-them-closer?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 22:00:04 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken said the US and Nato were faced with a “marriage crisis” as frustrations mount on both sides of the Atlantic, urging Washington to stand with its allies or risk America’s fall. Francken, speaking at a think tank event in Washington on Tuesday, likened the strained transatlantic relationship, which has held for close to 80 years, to a “crisis”, saying “it’s very difficult”. “I’m convinced that we’re having a marriage crisis … There’s a lot of frustration on... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351763/us-and-nato-faced-frustrating-marriage-crisis-belgian-defence-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351763/us-and-nato-faced-frustrating-marriage-crisis-belgian-defence-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 21:00:50 +0000 Reuters Reuters Nato is considering ending its recent practice of holding annual summits, six sources told Reuters, a move that could avoid a potentially tense encounter with US President Donald Trump in his final year in office. Trump’s administration has engaged repeatedly in scathing criticism of many of the US-led defence alliance’s 31 other members, most recently berating some for not providing more help to US military operations against Iran. The frequency of Nato ‌summits has varied over the alliance’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351615/bruised-trump-nato-alliance-considers-end-annual-summits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351615/bruised-trump-nato-alliance-considers-end-annual-summits?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:41:27 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Europe’s territorial integrity is a “red line” in Finland’s relations with the United States and other powers, according to Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen. “I can only say that certainly territorial integrity is the red line. “We defend the UN Charter, the territorial integrity of nations and sovereignty, and if need be, then we have to react through the means which we have at hand,” she told the South China Morning Post when asked about Greenland. Donald Trump seriously damaged relations with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351531/territorial-integrity-red-line-europe-finland-warns-after-us-greenland-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351531/territorial-integrity-red-line-europe-finland-warns-after-us-greenland-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:00:10 +0000 Michael Vatikiotis Michael Vatikiotis The fog of war is getting thicker. The world is beset by conflicts, yet we are increasingly in the dark regarding their causes. Without this understanding, we lack the insight necessary to resolve them. Understanding conflict is a basic tool of mediation. It helps us define who the main actors are, the context in which they operate and the positions they hold. These data points are vital precursors to resolving conflict through mediation, of any kind. Yet in today’s world, the basic information... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3351339/blinding-world-lies-makes-peacemaking-impossible-task?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3351339/blinding-world-lies-makes-peacemaking-impossible-task?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2026 03:00:21 +0000 Reuters Reuters Talks on forming a new Danish government are in stalemate one month on from the country’s parliamentary election, slowing decision-making amid efforts to resolve a crisis in ties with US President Donald Trump’s administration over Greenland. Caretaker Prime Minister Mette ‌Frederiksen, armed with a royal mandate, is leading coalition talks among the 12 parties in parliament but has so far only won support from left-wing groups, which is not enough to secure a parliamentary... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351362/month-after-elections-danish-government-talks-remain-stalemate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351362/month-after-elections-danish-government-talks-remain-stalemate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:23:18 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Sven Biscop is a Belgian political scientist and strategist specialising in the foreign affairs and security of the EU and its relations with great powers. He is a director at the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations in Brussels and a professor at Ghent University. He is also a senior research fellow at Renmin University in Beijing, where he teaches in the summer. Biscop is the author of many books, including 2024’s This Is Not a New World Order: Europe Rediscovers Geopolitics,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350626/saying-youre-geopolitical-actor-doesnt-make-it-so-sven-biscop-europe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350626/saying-youre-geopolitical-actor-doesnt-make-it-so-sven-biscop-europe?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 22:00:19 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham In June 2021, from a podium in the Cornish countryside, former US president Joe Biden told a relieved Europe that “America is back at the table”. The comment – made after a summit of the Group of Seven rich nations – became a galvanising force for reinvigorated transatlanticism after the first term of Donald Trump had left it in tatters. When Russia invaded Ukraine eight months later, the G7 became the forum of choice for cooking up punitive sanctions against Russia. It was also the venue for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350572/rupture-how-europe-fell-out-love-america?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350572/rupture-how-europe-fell-out-love-america?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:00:10 +0000 Orange Wang,Yuanyue Dang Orange Wang,Yuanyue Dang The US-Israel war on Iran could push Nato closer to becoming a “nominal” alliance, although it was unlikely to disband any time soon, a Chinese observer said. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised the transatlantic defence alliance since returning to the White House last year, accusing allies of “free‑riding” on US security and demanding greater military and financial contributions. That rhetoric has only intensified in recent weeks, with accusations that Nato was failing to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349551/will-trumps-iran-war-loyalty-test-spell-end-nato?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349551/will-trumps-iran-war-loyalty-test-spell-end-nato?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 22:00:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Thursday that he represents a proud nation seeking to maintain global order, pushing back against the latest comments about ‌the Arctic island by US President Donald Trump. Trump on Wednesday vented his frustration with Nato as relations reached a crisis point over the Iran war, stating that the military alliance was not around when needed, and that he still ⁠remembered Greenland, a “BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE”. “What is important ‌for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349563/greenland-hits-back-trump-amid-nato-tensions-were-not-some-piece-ice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349563/greenland-hits-back-trump-amid-nato-tensions-were-not-some-piece-ice?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 15:31:12 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen US President Donald Trump’s renewed threat to take Greenland when America is bogged down in a war with Iran will only deepen the fracture with Washington’s European allies, according to analysts. Trump has repeatedly criticised Europe since returning to the White House. He has derided Nato as a “paper tiger” that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “not afraid of” and last week threatened to withdraw the US from the transatlantic security alliance. Europe, meanwhile, has pushed back and kept a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349295/paper-tiger-whats-behind-donald-trumps-renewed-greenland-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349295/paper-tiger-whats-behind-donald-trumps-renewed-greenland-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:00:11 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Yuanyue Dang Khushboo Razdan,Yuanyue Dang US President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared the US‑Israel war against Iran had delivered “decisive, overwhelming victories”, even as he signalled that key military objectives were still “nearing completion” and that further strikes could inflict heavy damage on targets in the country. “We are going to hit them extremely hard. Over the next two to three weeks, we are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong. In the meantime, discussions are ongoing,” he said in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3348727/trump-declares-decisive-overwhelming-victory-iran-war-signals-end-operations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3348727/trump-declares-decisive-overwhelming-victory-iran-war-signals-end-operations?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 01:22:04 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham European governments breathed a sigh of relief in October when the US and China sealed a fragile trade truce that paused more sweeping Chinese rare earth restrictions and papered over a Sino-Dutch row over chipmaker Nexperia. Now, however, the European Union is being urged to come up with a battle plan should the ceasefire fail or expire. A spike in superpower tensions could expose the EU to Chinese export controls, potentially pulverising its military support for Ukraine, its own efforts to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348494/europe-urged-learn-fight-itself-case-us-china-truce-collapses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348494/europe-urged-learn-fight-itself-case-us-china-truce-collapses?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 07:00:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen handed in her coalition government’s resignation on Wednesday after suffering a massive election defeat, but could still emerge as leader of a new cabinet in the coming weeks. Analysts say the result was a voter revolt over broken economic promises of the outgoing centrist government and ‌a sign that the electorate was tired of Frederiksen as a leader after seven years in power. Frederiksen’s Social Democratic Party had its worst election since 1903 on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347777/danish-pm-mette-frederiksens-left-wing-bloc-wins-election-falls-short-majority?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347777/danish-pm-mette-frederiksens-left-wing-bloc-wins-election-falls-short-majority?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 23:54:31 +0000 Nong Hong Nong Hong Gulf exporters are scrambling to bypass the Strait of Hormuz after Iran choked off most of the maritime traffic in one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates rushed to divert exports through overland pipelines; officials warned that even naval escorts could not guarantee safe passage. About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade passed through this narrow waterway. The immediate shock was felt in the Gulf. The strategic... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3347190/conflict-middle-east-boosting-value-arctic-windfall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3347190/conflict-middle-east-boosting-value-arctic-windfall?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Danes were voting ⁠on Tuesday in an election that may hand Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen a third term thanks to her staunch line against US President Donald Trump over Greenland even though cost-of-living worries have hurt her leftist credentials. Opinion polls show her Social Democrats are headed for their weakest result since before World War II: many Danes blame Frederiksen for not doing enough to protect their Nordic welfare model, while others point to growing ‌weariness after nearly... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347702/denmark-votes-election-shadowed-trumps-greenland-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347702/denmark-votes-election-shadowed-trumps-greenland-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 08:14:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The amount of heat trapped by the Earth reached record levels in 2025, with the consequences of such warming feared to last for thousands of years, the UN warned on Monday. The 11 hottest years ever recorded were all between 2015 and 2025, the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization (WMO) weather and climate agency confirmed, in its flagship State of the Global Climate annual report. Last year was the second or third hottest year on record, at about 1.43 degrees Celsius above the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3347542/flashing-red-un-alarmed-heat-trapped-earth-hits-record-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3347542/flashing-red-un-alarmed-heat-trapped-earth-hits-record-high?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 05:03:51 +0000 Julien Chaisse Julien Chaisse Over the past 12 months, a series of political and military crises has erupted in different parts of the world. Do they have anything in common? On the surface, the dramas in Iran, Panama, Venezuela and Greenland look separate, each with its own cast, excuse and headlines. What links them is not ideology, or the public language used to sell each move. It is the map. Iran sits beside the Strait of Hormuz, the choke point for Gulf energy flows. Panama sits astride one of the world’s trade... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3345449/what-crises-iran-panama-venezuela-and-greenland-have-common?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3345449/what-crises-iran-panama-venezuela-and-greenland-have-common?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Donald Rothwell Donald Rothwell The Iranian diaspora has been celebrating and governments around the world have generally not mourned the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in last weekend’s US and Israeli air strikes on Iran. While there has been much political justification for these attacks from Washington and Israel, neither has sought to legally justify their conduct. No real effort has been made to reference the acknowledged right of self-defence, most likely because the evidence did not exist. In other words, there was no... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3345741/australia-needs-make-its-stance-iran-attacks-known?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3345741/australia-needs-make-its-stance-iran-attacks-known?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 04:00:08 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Canada’s defence agreement with South Korea signals the two countries’ “middle-power answer” to increasing cooperation between Beijing and Moscow in the Arctic region and Washington’s pressure on its allies for defence burden sharing, according to analysts. The agreement, signed on February 25 as part of a 2+2 foreign and defence ministerial meeting, followed the security and defence cooperation partnership established by the two countries in October. According to a joint statement issued after... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3345670/middle-powers-canada-south-korea-set-arctic-course-between-china-russia-and-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3345670/middle-powers-canada-south-korea-set-arctic-course-between-china-russia-and-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 06:00:21 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham For over a year, Europe has become the world’s geopolitical punching bag, taking economic roundhouses from the east and geopolitical uppercuts from the west without ever swinging back. From US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and covetous glances at Greenland to Beijing’s rare earth embargoes and lightning blockade of semiconductor shipments, Europe’s first response has been to freeze, not fight. But now, it may be ready to counterpunch. After a fresh Trump tariff threat emerged last week, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345028/europe-worlds-geopolitical-punching-bag-ready-hit-back-us-and-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345028/europe-worlds-geopolitical-punching-bag-ready-hit-back-us-and-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 14:00:08 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Denmark’s intelligence services have warned that foreign powers may seek to interfere in the country’s March 24 general election, singling out Russia as the primary threat but also flagging the US and China as potential sources of influence. In a statement published on Friday night, the Danish Security and Intelligence Service said it was “highly likely” that Denmark was a prioritised target for Russian influence activities due to the Nordic nation’s support for Ukraine. It also cited rising... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344947/denmark-warns-interference-russia-us-its-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344947/denmark-warns-interference-russia-us-its-election?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 01:10:37 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Early in 2021, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw and held talks with both General Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of the armed forces, and Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of the civilian government. The meeting was a chance for China to voice support for Myanmar’s “national conditions” development path and signal China’s long-term pragmatic approach to ties with its southwestern neighbour, irrespective of who was in power. That strategy, however, came under... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343830/5-years-and-1-election-later-why-chinas-myanmar-dilemma-still-isnt-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343830/5-years-and-1-election-later-why-chinas-myanmar-dilemma-still-isnt-over?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 22:00:10 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called an early election for March 24, betting a popularity boost from a stand-off with US President Donald Trump over Greenland will help secure her another term in office. The move comes after the US president revived claims over the Arctic territory in early January, causing a diplomatic rift with Europe. The rupture in relations bolstered Frederiksen’s domestic standing, reinforcing her image as a disciplined and steady leader during periods of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344779/denmark-pm-calls-snap-election-amid-row-trump-over-greenland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344779/denmark-pm-calls-snap-election-amid-row-trump-over-greenland?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 14:35:11 +0000 Meredith Chen Meredith Chen Abraham Newman is an American political scientist and a professor in the School of Foreign Service and Department of Government at Georgetown University. His research focuses on the ways in which economic interdependence and globalisation have transformed international politics. Along with Henry Farrell, he is co-author of the book Underground Empire: How America Weaponised the World Economy, published in 2023. In this interview, he discusses how the concept of weaponised interdependence has... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344243/trumps-neo-royalist-world-order-and-weaponised-interdependence-abraham-newman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344243/trumps-neo-royalist-world-order-and-weaponised-interdependence-abraham-newman?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 22:00:15 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was sending a hospital boat to Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory that he has long coveted and threatened to seize by force. Trump’s rhetoric has ratcheted up tensions between the United States and Denmark, while putting the global spotlight on the Arctic as he insists mineral-rich Greenland is vital for US and Nato security against Russia and China. He said the boat would treat many “sick” people in Greenland, without providing any details on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344236/trump-sends-great-hospital-boat-treat-sick-people-greenland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344236/trump-sends-great-hospital-boat-treat-sick-people-greenland?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 04:00:16 +0000 Wang Huiyao Wang Huiyao The global order has outgrown itself. The 2026 Munich Security Report describes this moment as a period of “wrecking-ball politics”, in which the post-war order constructed in 1945 is “under destruction”. However, that order was designed for a world shaped by bipolar rivalry and later sustained by American predominance. Today’s global system looks very different: economically diffuse, environmentally constrained and politically fragmented but deeply interconnected by both trade and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3343875/its-time-global-governance-reflect-new-realities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3343875/its-time-global-governance-reflect-new-realities?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 21:30:09 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump on Wednesday sharply criticised British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the UK’s agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, warning the deal could create strategic vulnerabilities amid concerns about China’s growing ties with Mauritius. The deal, finalised in 2025 between Britain and Mauritius, would see Britain transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius while securing a 99-year lease to maintain full operational control of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343944/trump-flip-flops-again-saying-uks-chagos-deal-would-be-big-mistake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343944/trump-flip-flops-again-saying-uks-chagos-deal-would-be-big-mistake?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 20:19:43 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi,Fan Chen Seong Hyeon Choi,Fan Chen A former president of Iceland has rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim that nearby Greenland was surrounded by Chinese and Russian vessels, saying it was “not supported by facts”. In an interview on the sidelines of last weekend’s Munich Security Conference, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, who was Iceland’s president from 1996 to 2016, said there were “no Russian and Chinese ships in the waters of Greenland”. Trump said last month that the US “needed Greenland” – a Danish territory – “from the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343884/trumps-claim-chinese-and-russian-ships-near-greenland-not-supported-facts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343884/trumps-claim-chinese-and-russian-ships-near-greenland-not-supported-facts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 10:00:17 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Anastasia Kucherova, a Russian living in Milan, voiced her opposition to Russia’s war against Ukraine with a highly symbolic, if anonymous, act: carrying the Ukraine team placard during the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Winter Games. Kucherova was swathed in a long, hooded silver puffer coat, her eyes covered with dark glasses – like all the other placard bearers for the 92 nations competing in the Olympics. The Ukraine sign was illuminated for the crowd to read. At first the country... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343803/ukraines-olympic-sign-bearer-was-russian-risking-her-safety-silent-protest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343803/ukraines-olympic-sign-bearer-was-russian-risking-her-safety-silent-protest?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 05:54:45 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service US President Donald Trump on Saturday celebrated Valentine’s Day by sharing a series of cards that praised his accomplishments while predictably slamming Democrats and even poking fun at his own secretary of state. The cards, posted by the White House on social media, kick off with a picture of a handcuffed and blindfolded Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro following his capture from his country in January. It is made to look a classic Valentine’s Day card, with the phrase: “You captured my... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343604/trumps-valentines-day-cards-feature-maduro-greenland-and-mockery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343604/trumps-valentines-day-cards-feature-maduro-greenland-and-mockery?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 01:30:43 +0000 Reuters Reuters Nato said on Wednesday that it had launched a mission to strengthen its presence in the Arctic, part of an effort to defuse severe tensions within the alliance prompted by US President Donald Trump’s push for the US to acquire Greenland. The new mission, Arctic Sentry, will coordinate an increasing military presence of Nato allies in the region, including exercises such as Denmark’s Arctic Endurance on Greenland, the ‌alliance’s military headquarters said in a statement. Nato did not quantify... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343235/nato-launches-arctic-sentry-mission-bid-ease-greenland-tensions-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343235/nato-launches-arctic-sentry-mission-bid-ease-greenland-tensions-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 16:44:52 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Luuk van Middelaar is the director of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics, a think tank he co-founded in 2022. A political theorist and historian by trade, he has written several books and was in the cabinet of the first European Council president Herman Van Rompuy. Van Middelaar is widely read and cited across Europe for his analysis of the EU’s political evolution, with his books translated into many languages and awarded major European literary prizes. He writes regularly for leading... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342650/europe-must-act-fast-trumps-more-brutal-new-world-order-luuk-van-middelaar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342650/europe-must-act-fast-trumps-more-brutal-new-world-order-luuk-van-middelaar?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 22:00:30 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Canada and France, which both oppose US President Donald Trump’s claim to Greenland, opened consulates in the Danish autonomous territory’s capital on Friday, in a show of support for the local government. Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has insisted that Washington needs to control the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island for security reasons. Trump last month backed off threats to seize Greenland after saying he had struck a “framework” deal with Nato chief Mark Rutte to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342736/canada-and-france-open-greenland-consulates-show-support-amid-trump-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342736/canada-and-france-open-greenland-consulates-show-support-amid-trump-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 20:54:04 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham EU industry chief Stephane Sejourne was in Washington on Wednesday, with a mandate from the bloc’s 27 member states to work towards a memorandum on critical minerals with the United States. With the sides keen to reduce their reliance on China, dramatically weaponised during last year’s US-China trade war, the French commissioner secured a “commitment” to work towards a memorandum within 30 days, to identify joint mining, refining, processing and recycling projects. In a joint statement that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342494/chinas-chokehold-trumps-stockpile-europe-looks-least-bad-rare-earth-bet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342494/chinas-chokehold-trumps-stockpile-europe-looks-least-bad-rare-earth-bet?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 10:00:11 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Luuk van Middelaar is the director of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics, a think tank he co-founded in 2022. A political theorist and historian by trade, he has written several books and was in the cabinet of the first European Council president, Herman Van Rompuy. Van Middelaar is widely read and cited across Europe for his analysis of the EU’s political evolution, with his books translated into many languages and awarded major European literary prizes. He writes regularly for leading... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/world/europe/article/3342456/historian-trumps-new-world-order-ukraine-war-and-europe-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/world/europe/article/3342456/historian-trumps-new-world-order-ukraine-war-and-europe-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 04:20:36 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Nato said on Tuesday that military planning has started for a new mission to bolster security in the Arctic, after US President Donald Trump made protecting the region central to his demands for Greenland. “Planning is under way for a Nato enhanced vigilance activity, named Arctic Sentry,” said Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for Nato’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. “The activity will even further strengthen Nato’s posture in the Arctic and High North,” he added, without providing... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342290/nato-starts-planning-arctic-military-mission-amid-greenland-row-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342290/nato-starts-planning-arctic-military-mission-amid-greenland-row-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 18:02:32 +0000 Jianlu Bi Jianlu Bi At this turbulent crossroads of 2026, the global order is undergoing a major paradigm shift. This is signalled most vividly by a wave of Western leaders visiting Beijing. From British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s historic mission last week – the first visit by a UK prime minister in eight years – to the high-profile arrivals of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo last month, a clear pattern of strategic recalibration has emerged. These moves represent a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3342113/american-allies-are-finally-hedging-against-american-risk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3342113/american-allies-are-finally-hedging-against-american-risk?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 12:30:37 +0000 dpa dpa Fifa president Gianni Infantino has apologised over remarks he made about British fans and defended the decision to award a peace prize to US President Donald Trump. Infantino said at last month’s World Economic Forum in Davos that the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 had been special because “for the first time in history no Brit was arrested”. His comments were described as a “cheap” joke at the expense of fans by the Football Supporters’ Association, while the UK’s football policing lead Chief... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3342154/fifa-boss-sorry-offending-british-football-fans-defends-trump-peace-prize?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3342154/fifa-boss-sorry-offending-british-football-fans-defends-trump-peace-prize?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 17:34:26 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen Donald Trump’s repeated threats against Greenland and rising tensions with Iran may have been a factor in the latest round of talks between China and Russia, according to Chinese observers. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Sergei Shoigu, the head of the Russian Security Council, met in Beijing on Sunday. According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Wang warned of the danger of the world lapsing into the “law of the jungle”. “China and Russia should maintain close communication on major issues... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342142/could-greenland-and-iran-have-been-factors-behind-latest-china-russia-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342142/could-greenland-and-iran-have-been-factors-behind-latest-china-russia-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 13:44:00 +0000 Lisa Lim Lisa Lim In addition to Greenland’s vast deposits of critical minerals, including rare earth elements, its significant oil and natural gas reserves, and strategic security-critical Arctic location – assets now widely familiar since the US threat to annex this autonomous territory of Denmark – Greenland’s language is also invaluable. In prehistoric times, successive waves of Paleo-Inuit (Paleo-Eskimo) peoples inhabited the island. The early 10th century then saw Norse arrivals, led by Erik the Red, who,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3341767/how-greenlands-language-just-invaluable-its-minerals-oil-and-strategic-location?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3341767/how-greenlands-language-just-invaluable-its-minerals-oil-and-strategic-location?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 13:15:13 +0000 Sylvia Ma Sylvia Ma Interest in de-dollarisation has spiked in Chinese academic and policy circles, as Beijing grows increasingly wary of the United States’ potential to weaponise its currency. The surge has been most visible in the volume of research. A search by the South China Morning Post on China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), one of the country’s largest academic research databases, showed the number of papers on the subject more than doubled from 2023 to 2025 compared with the preceding three... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3341876/trade-war-global-instability-push-de-dollarisation-chinas-academic-mainstream?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3341876/trade-war-global-instability-push-de-dollarisation-chinas-academic-mainstream?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 00:00:10 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words The recent image released by the White House, of US President Donald Trump walking alongside a penguin in Greenland, would have triggered a distinct sense of deja vu among Hong Kong readers. We have seen this script before. In 2009, Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan – now our deputy... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3341786/what-image-trump-and-penguin-reveals-about-white-house?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3341786/what-image-trump-and-penguin-reveals-about-white-house?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 03:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The mayor of Greenland’s capital on Thursday called on media professionals and content creators to act responsibly after a failed attempt by a German comedian to hoist the US flag. Bavarian comedian Maxi Schafroth, 41, attempted to run up the Stars and Stripes on a flagpole near the cultural centre in Nuuk before he was confronted by angry passers-by. When questioned, he claimed to be a US official before leaving to disapproving looks from locals, according to a journalist at the scene. He was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341745/greenland-mayor-issues-warning-after-us-flag-stunt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341745/greenland-mayor-issues-warning-after-us-flag-stunt?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 19:38:36 +0000 Richard Heydarian Richard Heydarian At Davos, US President Donald Trump declared he had “always had a very good relationship with President Xi” Jinping, calling the Chinese leader “an incredible man”, “highly respected by everybody”. Trump also praised TikTok’s decision to transfer parts of its US business to a consortium of US investors, thanking Xi on social media. This broadly friendly rhetoric is likely to be a signal of Washington’s keen interest in finalising a trade deal with the world’s second-largest economy. Trump’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3341461/trumps-power-politics-paving-way-g2-world-order-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3341461/trumps-power-politics-paving-way-g2-world-order-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 12:30:11 +0000 Igor Patrick,Xinmei Shen Igor Patrick,Xinmei Shen US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused China of profiting from Venezuela’s long-running economic collapse by securing discounted oil, telling senators that removing Nicolas Maduro was necessary to end energy arrangements that he said “favoured Beijing at the expense of the Venezuelan people”. During a hearing of the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Rubio portrayed China as a central beneficiary of the Maduro government, arguing that Beijing had taken advantage of sanctions... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3341598/rubio-says-china-profited-venezuelas-collapse-through-cut-price-oil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3341598/rubio-says-china-profited-venezuelas-collapse-through-cut-price-oil?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 20:16:00 +0000 Kandy Wong Kandy Wong Despite the United States pushing to acquire Greenland, geological and technical constraints have so far prevented any country – including China – from successfully extracting and processing one of the Danish territory’s main critical minerals, a New York-based mining investor said. “In the Arctic, one of the popular – the sort of commonly occurring mineral – is called eudialyte,” said Tomasz Nadrowski, portfolio manager at Amvest Terraden, an investment and corporate finance firm specialising... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3341550/why-greenlands-rare-earth-riches-cannot-end-us-dependence-chinas-minerals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3341550/why-greenlands-rare-earth-riches-cannot-end-us-dependence-chinas-minerals?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 15:00:10 +0000