Are Europeans enraged with the United States?
According to reports, French President Emmanuel Macron stated on January 20 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that the trade agreement between Europe and the US harms European interests. He accused the US of forcing Europe to make maximum concessions and of openly attempting to weaken and control Europe, calling this "unacceptable."
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen subsequently criticized the US, urging Europe to no longer be soft on America.
This round of friction between the US and Europe stems from recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, who suggested seizing Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, declaring there is "no turning back" on the issue.
Several anonymous European diplomats privately described recent US policy shifts as "crazy" or even "out of control," stating that Europe must adopt strong countermeasures. Leaders including Macron, von der Leyen, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were reportedly coordinating in a group chat to address Trump's "crazy" foreign policies.
However, on January 21, after meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Davos, Trump stated he would temporarily not proceed with planned tariffs on eight European countries that opposed the US acquiring Greenland. Analysis suggests Trump's threat against Europe is part of his typical negotiation tactic: assert a strong position first, then engage in dialogue.
Rasmus Gjedssø Bertelsen, a Danish professor of Arctic research and political science at the Arctic University of Norway, expressed to the press that Europe is rarely threatened by the US and remains deeply dependent on America in areas like defense, often following US lead. He noted that under the current multi-pronged threats from the US, Europe finds it difficult to make a strategic shift.
Simultaneously, Bertelsen believes that although Europe does not agree with US claims regarding China's interests, it has long instinctively tended to seek US protection by confronting China, uncritically accepting American viewpoints instead of engaging in serious, independent strategic discussion.
A former US official with close ties to multiple European leaders told the news website Axios that Trump recently escalated pressure on Europe over the Greenland issue, "crossing the Europeans' red line for the first time."
On the 17th, Trump threatened to impose "island seizure tariffs" on eight European countries, including the UK, France, and Germany. Europe is considering two retaliatory measures: reinstating previously suspended tariff countermeasures targeting $930 billion worth of US goods exported to Europe; and potentially using the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) for the first time, a tool dubbed a "trade bazooka," to restrict US companies' access to the European market.
Trump also experienced diplomatic friction with several European leaders. On the 18th, he linked his Greenland claim to not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, blaming the Norwegian government, and claimed in a letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre that without the prize, he was "no longer considering peace."
On the 20th, Trump publicized text messages with Macron, in which Macron said he "didn't understand what you are doing in Greenland" and proposed arranging a G7 leaders' meeting in Paris on the 22nd, inviting Ukraine, Denmark, Syria, and Russia. Trump refused to attend, citing that "Macron won't last long."
Within just one hour, Trump posted screenshots of messages from Macron and Rutte. He also called Starmer "incredibly stupid" and shared an AI-generated image depicting him planting a US flag on Greenland.
Nathalie Tocci, Director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali in Rome, told the Financial Times that Trump deliberately uses mockery as a weapon. "The key is submission," she said. "Submission through coercion, mockery, and belittling."
On the same day, the European Parliament announced it was freezing the approval process for a trade agreement reached with the US last July, seen as the EU's first response to Trump's latest pressure tactics.
"We can negotiate anything," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told the Danish parliament. "But we cannot negotiate our most fundamental values, sovereignty, national identity, and borders. Our democracy."
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, European leaders used the platform to further lambast Trump.
"Being weak makes no sense anymore. If someone says, 'I want to take NATO territory from you, or I will start a trade war,' then we will have a trade war," De Wever stated. "Being a happy subordinate and being a miserable slave are two different things. If we back down now, we lose our dignity."
Von der Leyen vowed that the EU's response to the US would be "unflinching, united, and proportionate." She compared the hostility Trump shows allies to the 1971 "Nixon Shock," when the US upended the post-war economic order by abandoning the gold standard.
Von der Leyen also called for Europe to become "permanently" independent from the US, warning that waiting for a return to normalcy in US-Europe relations after Trump would only deepen Europe's vulnerability.
Macron's tone was even stronger. He condemned the US approach as "fundamentally unacceptable, especially when combined with endless accumulation of new tariffs, and particularly when used as leverage against territorial sovereignty." Macron also mentioned US attempts to "weaken and control Europe," stating, "We value respect more than bullying, and the rule of law more than brute force."
Macron favors pushing the EU to decisively deploy the Anti-Coercion Instrument to counter the US. He said, "This is crazy, but it's the consequence of unpredictability and useless aggression."
Europeans also displayed resistance to Trump diplomatically. Trump spoke at the Davos forum on the 21st and planned to meet with Rutte and others during the forum to discuss Greenland. However, Frederiksen chose not to go to Davos, and Macron left Switzerland on the 20th. It remains unclear whether Scholz or Starmer would participate in any meetings.
While speaking at the Davos forum, Trump claimed Europe was headed in the wrong direction and continued to pressure European allies strongly. Although he explicitly stated he would not seize Greenland by force, he sought "immediate" negotiations for the US to "purchase" the island.
Bertelsen noted that as a US ally, Europe has long been comfortable under American protection and rarely faced US coercion. However, Trump and the right-wing populists around him dislike the policies and values promoted by mainstream European politics. The current dual military and economic threats from the US are a shock to Europe, which finds it difficult to quickly shed its dependence on the US.
"In defense, science, and technology, Europe is strategically and materially heavily dependent on the United States. Breaking free from this dependency will be very difficult and costly for Europe," Bertelsen said.
An editorial in the French newspaper Le Monde wrote, "If Trump remains in power, a confrontation between the US and Europe is inevitable. Trump seems to only respect those who dare to oppose him. The EU does not lack weapons; it just needs to finally decide to use them."
Militarily, Denmark is currently developing plans to potentially deploy up to 1,000 combat troops to Greenland by 2026, with navy and air force involvement possible.
Currently, around 150 soldiers have arrived at Kangerlussuaq in western Greenland, with a similar number stationed in the capital Nuuk, including about 30 French mountain infantry participating in exercises. Regular military personnel from the Danish Arctic Command will also arrive for the exercises.
However, an analysis by CNN pointed out that Trump previously stated bluntly in an interview that he "doesn't need international law," as demonstrated by the raid on Venezuela earlier this month, suggesting European troop increases might be futile. The Financial Times even analyzed that it was Europe's troop deployment that angered Trump, leading him to announce tariffs on the eight European countries.
Media commentary suggested Europe should adopt some iron-fisted methods beyond normal diplomatic procedures to counterattack, including showing unity and demonstrating European "strength, force, and power."
One major tool is trade. The US and EU are the world's two largest economies. Last year, due to high dependence on US defense, the EU chose to sign an unequal trade agreement with the US. Under the deal, the EU eliminated tariffs on US industrial goods, while the US maintained a 15% tariff on most EU exports.
Now, the EU is showing a willingness to fight back. If the EU uses the Anti-Coercion Instrument for the first time, it could drive up prices for US consumers, cause stock market crashes, and further erode US voter confidence in Trump's claimed economic "golden era." Facing domestic economic pressure, Trump might not be able to afford a trade conflict with the EU.
European leaders, led by Macron, are calling for the EU to be more realistic on trade issues and expand its trade cooperation network. According to the World Economic Forum website, Macron criticized US trade strategy towards Europe in his speech and mentioned welcoming Chinese investment.
"China is certainly a welcome partner, but what we really need is more Chinese foreign direct investment in Europe, especially in key sectors. These investments can promote European economic growth and bring technology transfer, rather than just exporting to Europe products that don't meet European standards or are produced domestically with subsidies far exceeding those in Europe," Macron said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun responded at a regular press conference on January 21st that the essence of China-EU economic and trade relations is complementary advantages and mutual benefit. He stated the competitive advantage of Chinese products does not come from subsidies but from substantial R&D investment, full market competition, and a complete industrial chain. China does not deliberately pursue a trade surplus and is willing to be not just the world's factory but also the world's market.
Bertelsen pointed out that Europe has long followed a strategy of adhering to US rules, serving US interests more, without thoroughly considering the pros and cons of its relationships with other countries.
"Over the past 15 years, the US government has explicitly pressured the Danish government to全力阻止 block any Chinese investment and scientific projects in Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Although Europe does not agree with US claims regarding China's interests, it instinctively tends to seek US protection by confronting China, uncritically accepting American views instead of engaging in serious, independent strategic discussion about whether Europe and the US share common interests regarding China," Bertelsen stated.
"Regarding China-Europe relations, China always adheres to the principles of mutual respect and win-win cooperation to advance mutually beneficial relations with European countries. We also hope European countries will move in the same direction as China," Guo Jiakun said at the January 21st press conference. He was asked by a BBC reporter: US President Trump has threatened European countries with tariffs over the Greenland issue. Given that China has been able to withstand US pressure and respond to tariff measures from the Trump administration, can the Chinese government offer any advice to these European countries on how to deal with US threats?
Guo Jiakun responded, "Regarding the relationship you mentioned between European countries and the United States, China does not comment. Regarding the Greenland issue you mentioned, China has stated its position multiple times."
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