Rights and freedom of all countries to conduct activities in Arctic according to law should be respected: spokesperson

BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's activities in the Arctic, aiming to promote peace, stability, and sustainable development in the region, are in line with the international law, and the rights and freedom of all countries to conduct activities in the Arctic in accordance with the law should be fully respected, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said here Monday.

Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a regular news briefing after U.S. President Donald Trump recently said that the United States needs to take control of Greenland to prevent China and Russia from taking over Denmark's Arctic territory.

Mao said the Arctic involves the overall interests of the international community, and the United States should not use other countries as a pretext for pursuing its own interests.