Danish residents have slammed the United States for its attempts to acquire Greenland as a "totally stupid" and "medieval" move.
U.S. President Donald Trump has previously expressed his desire to acquire Greenland, the world's largest island which is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, but serious concerns have now been raised following the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, which saw its president ousted and Trump pledging to "run" the country.
On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump and his team are now weighing "a range of options" to acquire Denmark's Greenland, including "utilizing the U.S. military."
On the same day, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he plans to meet with Danish officials next week after the Trump administration doubled down on its intention to take over Greenland.
Residents in the Danish capital Copenhagen say they are outraged by the developments.
"To me it sounds kind of medieval, like something we did in Europe and the rest of the world hundreds and hundreds of years ago. So I don't see it really in today's policy as a thing you can do or will do. It's totally crazy. I can't decide what the American president is going to do, but we can react the way we do, saying 'this is not going to happen, this is totally stupid,'" said Lars Aarup, a local resident.
"The Danish prime minister called together all the leaders of the European area, and they have stated clearly this is not acceptable what he is doing. He has to stop that," said Dennis Sorensen, another local.
"I believe it's an outrage really. Denmark has been a very good ally for the United States of America, and for Trump to threaten to take over a territory from the Kingdom of Denmark, I think it's just unbelievable. You need to tell bullies like Trump to back off. That's the only language he understands," said another resident Jakob Ruggaard.
The leaders of seven European countries on Tuesday reaffirmed that Greenland "belongs to its people," stressing that issues concerning Denmark and Greenland must be decided solely by Denmark and Greenland, according to a joint statement.
The statement, released by Denmark's Prime Minister's Office, was signed by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Danish residents slam U.S. for 'medieval' attempt to takeover Greenland
Danish residents slam U.S. for 'medieval' attempt to takeover Greenland
Danish residents slam U.S. for 'medieval' attempt to takeover Greenland
From cutting-edge technology exhibitions to retail stores thousands of kilometers away from Europe and Southeast Asia, China-made robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers worldwide.
At electronics retailers in Berlin, Germany, Chinese brands such as Roborock and Dreame occupy prominent positions in dedicated robot vacuum sections, offering a wide range of products priced between 200 and 2,000 euros.
Many local consumers said that when purchasing smart home appliances including robot vacuum cleaners, they tend to give priority to Chinese-made products.
"It's a good price and good quality. It's also the innovation. I have a feeling that the European brands are not innovating enough," said one customer.
"I think they're always on top of the other technologies. They are getting them out faster. A lot of us are switching to the Chinese technology," another consumer said.
Germany is one of the most important overseas markets for China's floor-cleaning robots.
According to data from market research firm GfK, from January to November 2025, more than six out of 10 robot vacuum cleaners sold in Western Europe were Chinese brands.
Industry data also point to a strong global momentum.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart robot vacuum cleaners reached 17.424 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent.
Chinese brands including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal ranked among the world's top five in terms of shipment volume, with a combined share of nearly 70 percent of the global market.
At a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing plant in Huizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, workers were seen stepping up production of newly launched models that recently debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The factory adjusted its production lines as early as December 2025 and stocked inventory in advance for overseas markets to ensure that new products could be delivered to global consumers at the earliest possible time.
"In 2025, Roborock's global shipments exceeded 7.2 million units. Since 2024, overseas revenue has accounted for more than 50 percent of our total revenue. Our products have now been sold to more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 20 million households worldwide," said Quan Gang, president of Roborock.
At another robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing facility in Dongguan, Guangdong, rising overseas orders have prompted the company to upgrade its production lines with intelligent technologies to further boost capacity. The factory is currently operating at full load to meet a growing demand.
"For 2026, we have already obtained overseas orders worth at least 300 million to 400 million yuan (around 43 million to 57.3 million U.S. dollars). In addition, we've engaged in strategic cooperation with European home appliance group Cebos Group, and our total confirmed orders have exceeded 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars)," said Zhang Junbin, founder and CEO of Narwal Robotics.
Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction
