Bitunix Analyst: Greenland Dispute Escalates, US-EU Tariff Confrontation Enters a New Stage of "Political Extortion"

BlockBeats News, January 19 — U.S. President Trump has once again used tariffs as a bargaining chip, publicly threatening that if European countries do not agree to the U.S. “full purchase of Greenland,” tariffs will be imposed on goods from Denmark, Germany, France, the UK, and other eight countries starting from February, with the highest rate possibly rising to 25% by June. This move has quickly triggered strong backlash from the EU, with many countries accusing it of “economic coercion,” and they have initiated emergency consultations.

Currently, the EU is evaluating retaliatory tariffs on approximately 93 billion euros worth of U.S. goods, and does not rule out activating the “Counter-Coercion Tool” to restrict American companies’ access to public procurement, investment, financial, and service trade within the EU. France and Germany have taken the most hardline stance, explicitly stating that Europe will not make concessions on sovereignty issues; Denmark emphasizes that diplomatic dialogue will continue but does not accept tariffs as a means of negotiation.

From a macro perspective, this incident is no longer just a trade friction but an extension of the U.S. strategy that highly bundles “tariffs—geopolitics—sovereignty issues.” If the confrontation between Europe and the U.S. escalates, it will directly impact global trade confidence, amplify inflation and supply chain uncertainties, and exert structural pressure on risk assets.

Bitunix Analyst: In the short term, worsening U.S.-Europe relations will boost market risk aversion, and volatility in the dollar and U.S. bonds may rise simultaneously; in the medium term, if the EU formally retaliates, the risk of global trade fragmentation will be re-priced; in the long term, attention should be paid to whether “tariff politicization” becomes a legitimate new normal, which will profoundly affect global capital flows and risk appetite. For the crypto market, rising macro uncertainties often strengthen Bitcoin’s narrative as a “non-sovereign asset,” and its performance will depend on market confidence in the stability of the traditional financial system.