NATO's Rutte says Arctic talks with Trump to focus on keeping Russia, China out

Further talks would build on the Washington meeting last week between the United States and delegations from Denmark and Greenland.

"One workstream coming out of yesterday...is to make sure when it comes to Greenland, particularly, that we ensure that the Chinese and the Russians will not gain access to the Greenland economy (or) militarily to Greenland," Rutte told a panel at the World Economic Forum.

China has repeatedly said its scientific expeditions and shipping in the Arctic follow international treaties and laws, accusing the West of distorting facts and hyping up its activities as clues to military intent. Last week, the state propaganda newspaper Global Times said Western media had ignored the fact that China had never made any military deployment in the Arctic, and "sensationalised" the threat of a joint China-Russia military push.