Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) and Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende hope to renegotiate a free trade deal [Xinhua]
Chinese PM Li Keqiang and Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende announced this week that their countries would be normalizing bilateral ties, after meeting for talks in Beijing.
Ties between the two countries have been icy for the past six years, after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Liu Xiaobo, a dissident Chinese writer who was jailed for “inciting subversion of state power”, according to Beijing authorities.
“China hopes to work together with Norway to open a new chapter in bilateral ties, and push forward a sustained, healthy and stable relationship,” Li said.
Brende told a local Chinese paper that officials from both countries have been in talks for three years to put relations between the two states back on track.
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said Monday in a speech to the parliament that channels for cooperation between her country and China are opening up.
The parties are looking to renegotiate a free-trade agreement.
“On the basis of a joint declaration we establish, from today, a full normalization of our political and diplomatic relations with China,” Solberg told Parliament.
“Norway has had no political contact with China since 2010. This has been challenging for us in many international contexts and in many individual cases. It has also been challenging for Norwegian industry,” she said.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Norway supports the “One-China” policy.
The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies
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