COPENHAGEN (BLOOMBERG) - Danish intelligence service warned China and Russia are looking to destabilise parts of the Kingdom of Denmark, including Greenland, as these nations' geopolitical ambitions in the Arctic region are growing.

Espionage and influence operations by Chinese and Russian spy services, including via cyber attacks, pose a threat against authorities, companies and research bodies in Denmark and the semi-autonomous Faroe Islands and Greenland, Danish security and intelligence service PET said on Thursday (Jan 13) in its first publication assessing such risks.

"The kingdom is particularly vulnerable in that regard as Chinese or Russian intelligence services can exploit controversial topics to try to create tensions in or between the three parts of the kingdom or complicate relations with allies, particularly the US," the agency said.

Greenland and the Faroe Islands are strategically located on the pathway between the Arctic and the North Atlantic. Denmark's primary security ally, the US, has its northernmost base on Greenland and the island's natural resources have further boosted the interest from Russia and China.

Tensions between Denmark and Greenland, which has a strong independence movement, have grown recently. The island's new government, appointed after last year's general election, has urged to demilitarise Greenland and rejected a 1.5 billion kroner (S$300 million) deal struck by the Danish parliament to boost defence spending in the Arctic.

The previous government wanted to attract foreign companies, such as Chinese-backed Greenland Minerals, which were looking to tap the island's rare-earth metals.