BEIJING - China has repeatedly stated its position on the Greenland issue, and urged the United States to stop using the so-called "China threat" as a pretext for pursuing its own interests, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said here Monday.

Spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular news briefing that the international law based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter is the foundation of the existing international order and must be upheld.

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Guo made the remarks when responding to a query about US President Donald Trump's recent announcement 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.