China seeks stronger ties, signing of FTA with Norway, Wang says

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday called for stronger ties between China and Norway, including concluding the talks for a bilateral free trade agreement as soon as possible.

In a joint press conference with his Norwegian counterpart Ine Eriksen Soreide in Oslo, Wang said his visit, the first by a Chinese foreign minister in the last 15 years, is to send a signal that China cherishes the healthy and stable bilateral relationship.

He said the two countries should boost their mutually beneficial cooperation in the post-pandemic world, uphold multilateralism and contribute to global economic recovery and the strengthening of global governance.

Wang described his talk with Soreide as "fruitful" and said China has proposed three key points for the bilateral relations.

He said the two sides should focus on the big picture of a healthy and stable relationship. While the two nations are thousands of miles apart and with very different national conditions, they could keep the bilateral relationship steady and sound and strengthen the political foundation of the ties as long as they respect each other, treat each other equally and take care of each other's core interests and major concerns, according to the top Chinese diplomat.

Wang also called the two countries to focus on mutually beneficial cooperation. Given the economic challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Wang said that an early conclusion of the FTA talks will help boost economic and trade cooperation between the two countries and also be vital in keeping the global supply chain open.

Wang said the Chinese side was ready to support the Norwegian fishing export to China, while ensuring food safety standards were upheld.

He also highlighted opportunities on other cooperation, including conservation and sustainable use of resources, culture, a taxation agreement and winter sports.

Wang called the two countries to firmly uphold multilateralism, and praised the role Norway has played in international affairs, saying that both China and Norway are beneficiaries and supporters of globalization, multilateralism and free trade, and both oppose unilateralism and protectionism.

Wang congratulated Norway for being elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council during the 2021-2022 period and said China is willing to set up a consultation mechanism on multilateral affairs with Norway to strengthen cooperation in the UN, the World Trade Organization and other multilateral frameworks as well as in peace mediation and development assistance and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris climate accord.

Wang, who arrived in Norway on Thursday, is on a five-nation Europe tour that has already taken him to Italy and the Netherlands. His next two stops will be France and Germany.

On Thursday, Wang conveyed the greetings by top Chinese leaders during a meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg. Solberg also asked Wang to extend her best wishes to President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.

Solberg praised China's great achievements in social and economic developments and said that China has set a good example for the world in hitting its goal of eradicating absolute poverty soon.

She said that Norway also hopes to wrap up the FTA talks as soon as possible and strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas such as the development of COVID-19 vaccines.

She reiterated Norway's support for multilateralism, saying her country is willing to cooperate with China on UN Security Council affairs to ensure the effective operation of the UN, the World Health Organization and other international agencies.

Solberg also wished for a successful 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, saying Norway is happy to cooperate with China in training winter sports athletes.