DAVOS, Switzerland: Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng warned Tuesday the world must not revert to the “law of the jungle”, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos as Washington steps up its bid to take Greenland.
“A select few countries should not have privileges based on self-interest, and the world cannot revert to the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak,” He said in a speech which came as US President Donald Trump pushes his increasingly assertive America First agenda, and demands NATO ally Denmark to cede Greenland to him.
“All countries have the right to protect their legitimate interests,” He added.
In a veiled reference to Trump’s mercurial trade policies, He slammed the “unilateral” actions and trade agreements of “some countries” which he said violates the rules of the World Trade Organization.
Beijing and Washington last year were locked in a blistering trade war that saw both countries impose tit-for-tat tariffs on each others’ products.
“The current multilateral trading system is facing unprecedented and severe challenges,” He said.
“We must firmly uphold multilateralism and promote the improvement of a more just and equitable international economic and trade order.”
Special Address by He Lifeng, Vice-Premier of the People’s Republic of China, with @borgebrende (@wef) and André Hoffmann #WEF26 https://t.co/SIua5w2dik
— World Economic Forum (@wef) January 20, 2026
EU vows ‘unflinching’ response to Trump
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen vowed an “unflinching” response to Trump’s threats over Greenland.
Meanwhile, Trump said he was ready to hold a meeting in Davos about the Arctic island.
In a speech to the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort, von der Leyen warned that Trump risked plunging US ties with the European Union into a “downward spiral” over the autonomous Danish territory.
Trump, who will address the annual gathering of global elites on Wednesday, has put the transatlantic alliance to the test with his demand to take over Greenland.
Europe is weighing countermeasures after the US president threatened to impose tariffs on eight European countries over the Greenland standoff — although Washington has said any retaliatory levies would be “unwise”.
“The proposed additional tariffs are a mistake, especially between long-standing allies,” von der Leyen told the meeting of world business and political leaders.
“Plunging us into a downward spiral would only aid the very adversaries we are both so committed to keeping out of the strategic landscape. So our response will be unflinching, united and proportional,” she said.
Trump pressed on with his Greenland campaign on his Truth Social platform, posting a fake photo of himself planting a flag in a rock and ice landscape next to a sign reading “GREENLAND – US TERRITORY EST. 2026”.
He later wrote he had a “very good” call with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte over mineral-rich Greenland.
“I agreed to a meeting of the various parties in Davos, Switzerland,” he said late on Monday.
The US president said he did not think European leaders would “push back too much” on his attempt to buy the vast island, telling reporters on Monday: “They can’t protect it.”
Trump has used the argument that he wants to protect Greenland from perceived Russian and Chinese threats as a key justification for taking over the strategically located territory.
