Denmark: Alienated by Beijing, forsaken by Washington and drawn to Brussels

Denmark finds itself in the midst of a major foreign policy crisis, triggered by the Trump administration’s disruptive policies, including its desire to gain control over Greenland. The present crisis comes against the backdrop of a deepening US-China rivalry that, since 2018, has seen Denmark moving ever closer into Washington’s orbit, thereby alienating itself from Beijing and dismantling its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with China in the process. Although the U.S. remains a vital military ally and Denmark’s single-most important economic partner, the Trump administration’s approach has raised serious questions about the nature of the bilateral relationship, forcing the Danish government to pivot towards Brussels and support its agenda for greater strategic autonomy. As negative views of China’s political trajectory under Xi Jinping have hardened in Denmark, Copenhagen is unlikely to exploit the current geopolitical turmoil to pursue closer bilateral ties to Beijing, especially with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the helm.