Abstract
These years, China appears on the international scene as a more confident great power marking the end of the traditional “keep a low profile” guideline for Chinese foreign and security policy. In Washington, China is increasingly seen – and treated – as a threatening great power rival resulting in a “securitisation” of almost all dimensions of the bilateral U.S.-China relationship from student exchanges and cultural programs to trade and joint business and research projects. The heightened zero-sum great power rivalry dynamics between the U.S. and China present close U.S. allies such as Denmark with growing challenges in their relations with China. This is playing out globally, but for Denmark, the implications for Arctic politics and security are especially important and difficult to manage also due to Russia’s presence in the region and the complex – and evolving – Kingdom of Denmark constellation.