Although U.S. President Donald Trump seemed to walk back his threats to take control of Greenland during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, Greenlanders are still concerned about their future on the world's largest island.
Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen retaining control over defense and foreign policy.
Since returning to office in 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to "obtain" Greenland, a threat that has caused grave concerns on the island and across the world.
Against this backdrop, and following government advice to Greenlanders to stock at least five days' worth of basic supplies, including drinking water, food and sanitary products, some stores in Greenland's capital Nuuk have seen a fall in their stocks of some emergency goods.
Rasmus Nielsen, manager of a hunting and outdoor gear store in Nuuk, says that despite early concerns about U.S. intentions, there has not been a noticeable increase in sales of firearms.
"We do not see the increase of firearms selling more, maybe more bullets. We were quite worried at first, but we also have to use our common sense that it will be a very high crime to take over a land like that. But that made people worried of what's going on," said.
Greenland has a high rate of gun ownership, with over 35,000 rifles in the hands of a population of 56,000, primarily for hunting and safety against polar bears.
Anthony Moregard, manager of a hardware store, said local residents appear to be taking emergency preparedness more seriously.
"I remember one week ago, so they came to buy many things used to water and to cooking. Something to use to take water, and gas to cook food, and generators, all these sold out. Maybe we take again maybe this week or next week," he said.
The Danish government, responding to a request from the Greenland government, has confirmed it is assisting the territory in bolstering its emergency preparedness.
"That situation is not good for all of us from Greenland. I hope they are not coming," Moregard said, adding people should be prepared against any eventuality even if Trump appears to have dropped his threats for now.
Greenlanders stock up on emergency supplies amid concerns about region’s future
China's successful tests of its new-generation heavy-lift rocket and next-generation manned spacecraft mark a significant step forward for the country's crewed lunar program, space technology experts say.
A low-altitude demonstration and verification flight test for the Long March-10 carrier rocket and a maximum dynamic pressure abort flight test for the new-generation crewed spaceship system Mengzhou are successfully conducted at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province on Wednesday.
It was the first ignition flight of the Long March-10 rocket, and saw the spacecraft power through Max Q -- the most dangerous phase of ascent, when aerodynamic stress reaches its peak.
Both the return capsule and the rocket's first stage landed in their designated recovery zones.
It was also the first completion of a sea landing and recovery of Mengzhou's return capsule, which will bring China's spacefarers back to earth.
Mengzhou, which means "Dream Vessel" in Chinese, is designed mainly for China's crewed lunar exploration but can also be used for space station operation. Its return capsule is capable of multiple reuses.
"We have successfully achieved a soft splashdown and retrieval from the sea. This marks a crucial and significant breakthrough in China's reusable carrier rocket technology and will also greatly promote the upgrading of China's carrier rocket technology," said Wang Zhifei, a researcher at China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
Zhong Wen'an, who works at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, said the mission laid a foundation for China to advance its crewed lunar exploration program.
"This laid the foundation for completing verification flights for the crewed lunar exploration program, and eventually, lunar landings. Efforts to build the equipment and facilities required for a comprehensive launch and test system are progressing as planned. It is estimated that by the end of this year, China will fully achieve testing and launch capabilities for the crewed lunar exploration program," said Zhong.
Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China's manned space program, underscored the significance of Wednesday’s successful tests.
"This was a highly significant flight test, especially the retrieval technologies, which are entirely new to us. Achieving success on the very first attempt represents a leapfrog development," said Zhou.
Experts hail China’s successful tests of heavy-lift rocket and manned spacecraft
