EU to hold emergency summit on Thursday over Trump's Greenland threats

Leaders of European Union (EU) countries will hold an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday to discuss U.S. threats related to Greenland, European Commission Spokesman Olof Gill said on Monday.

The summit will assess possible retaliatory measures in response to threatened tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on countries that oppose his plan to "acquire" Greenland.

Gill said the EU continues to engage "at all levels" with Washington over its new tariff threats and is taking "every possible step" to protect the bloc's economic interests. He added that the use of the anti-coercion instrument is not ruled out.

He stressed that the priority is engagement rather than escalation with the United States. However, "should the threatened tariffs be imposed, the European Union has tools at its disposal and is prepared to respond," he added.

Meanwhile, European leaders continued to condemn the U.S. tariff threats.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday stressed the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity regarding the Greenland issue, adding that "we want to hold our ground as a country and as a continent."

Speaking at a press conference in Berlin, Merz said Denmark and the people of Greenland can "count on our solidarity." While Germany is ready to support talks with Washington, the basis of these talks must always be the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, he stressed.

Tariff threats would weaken transatlantic relations, Merz said, warning against a risk of escalation.

He said while U.S. consumers would ultimately pay the price of such duties, they would also damage the European and German economies.

On the same day, multiple German industrial associations criticized the renewed U.S. tariff threats as damaging not only to European industries but also to the American economy. They urged the EU to respond decisively, including through counter-tariffs.

Following talks with German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, French Economy and Finance Minister Roland Lescure on Monday emphasized that while dialogue with Washington should continue, it is essential to set clear red lines. He called U.S. attempts to pressure allies through blackmail and economic coercion "unacceptable".

Trump on late Monday threatened to impose a 200-percent tariff on French wines and champagnes.

In responding to a reporter's question about French President Emmanuel Macron declining to join the "Board of Peace" initiative he proposed to rebuild Gaza, Trump said: "I'll put a 200 percent tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he'll join, but he doesn't have to join."

Media reports cited anonymous sources close to Macron as saying that France intends to reject Trump's invitation, as the board's charter appears to go beyond its role of overseeing the rebuilding of war-torn Gaza.

Swedish Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson said on Monday that the United States' tariff measures linked to Greenland are "absurd," stressing that Europe should not bow to pressure and must respond firmly.

Speaking to Swedish television, Svantesson said Trump's threat to impose tariffs in an attempt to force Greenland "into U.S. hands" marked "a new low" in global trade policy.

Svantesson called for a tough and coordinated European response, saying the countries concerned broadly agree they should be "tough and harsh" in pushing back.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that Greenland's future rests with the people of Greenland and Denmark, and the U.S. use of tariffs against allies is "completely wrong."

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store confirmed in a statement on Monday that he received a text message on Sunday afternoon from Trump.

In the statement, Store reiterated Norway's position on Greenland, saying Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and that Norway "fully supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter."

Store said the text message from Trump was sent in response to a short message he had sent earlier the same day on behalf of himself and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

According to Store, in their message to Trump, they voiced opposition to the announced tariff increases, pointed to the need to de-escalate, and proposed a telephone conversation between Trump, Stubb and Store on the same day.

Trump announced on Saturday that the United States would impose a 10-percent tariff from Feb. 1 on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Finland over Greenland, and raise the levy to 25 percent from the beginning of June unless a deal is reached for the United States to "purchase" the territory.

Greenland, the world's largest island, is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen retaining control over defense and foreign policy. The United States maintains a military base on the island. Since returning to office in 2025, Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to "obtain" Greenland.

EU to hold emergency summit on Thursday over Trump's Greenland threats

EU to hold emergency summit on Thursday over Trump's Greenland threats

One month since the launch of special customs operations in south China's entire Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), local customs have introduced smart regulatory models to streamline customs clearance procedures and attract more global businesses.

Customs officials from the Yangpu Port, a key regulatory area within the FTP covering the whole southern island, shared their efforts.

"The Yangpu Port has fully implemented contactless clearance and integrated document services across all terminals, significantly expediting procedures for vessels and crews. Overall customs processing time has been reduced by 30 percent. Low-risk vessels can begin operations immediately upon docking, with inspection for one vessel completed within 30 minutes. Bonded fuel refueling ships enjoy a 'refuel-and-go' policy, saving an average of six hours and around 60,000 yuan (about 8,610 U.S. dollars) per vessel, enabling efficient 'work-upon-arrival, depart-without-delay' operations. Officers provide 24-hours/seven on-site support, allowing crews to complete formalities right after disembarking. The port also promotes paperless online processing and offers prioritized clearance for bulk carriers, further cutting time and costs for businesses while advancing the use of smart border inspection technologies," said Xie Feng, director of the Border Inspection Department under the Yangpu Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station.

In addition, the Yangpu Customs has also introduced smart systems for higher efficiency, and reduced the number of declaration items to less than one-third.

"Our Smart Customs Supervision Platform officially commenced operations in March 2025. The platform enables a closed-loop customs supervision process, covering everything from cargo retrieval in terminal operating systems and loading onto vehicles to the verification of outbound shipment information. Following the implementation [launch] of the island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port, we will also implement a direct release policy for imported zero-tariff goods and bonded goods that are not subject to inspection, quarantine, or licensing controls. The number of declaration items has been streamlined from 105 to 33, to help foreign trade enterprises lower costs and enhance efficiency," said Xu Yiheng, chief of the Third Comprehensive Business Section of the Comprehensive Business Department, the Yangpu Customs.

The measures, alongside governmental favorable policies, has yield solid results, with the Yangpu Port seeing a 35.6 percent year-on-year increase in the number of inbound and outbound vessels and a 28 percent rise in personnel flow between Dec 18, 2025 and Jan 17, 2026.

On a larger scale, the Haikou Customs in Hainan reported that in the past month, the value of zero-tariff goods imported through the "first line" reached 750 million yuan (about 107 million U.S. dollars), while processed and value-added goods sold domestically through the "second line" totaled about 85.9 million yuan.

The "first line" denotes Hainan's connection to overseas markets, while the "second line" represents the customs boundary between the tropical island province and China's mainland.

This two-tiered special customs system features "freer access at the first line", facilitating trade between Hainan and areas beyond China's customs borders, and "regulated access at the second line", which involves standard customs controls for the Chinese mainland.

The island also attracted over 5,000 new foreign trade enterprises to register in the month, bringing the total to more than 100,000.

Streamlined customs clearance in south China's Hainan FTP lowers cost for global trade