Norwegian PM arrives in Beijing for official visit

Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Store arrived in Beijing on Monday morning to start a three-day official visit to China.

According to China's Foreign Ministry, Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet Store and the two leaders are expected to hold in-depth discussions on bilateral ties and the issues of common concern.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Observers have rated the bilateral ties as good, with fruitful cooperation in various fields such as economy and trade, green development, and cultural exchanges. China is Norway's largest trading partner in Asia. Official figures showed that bilateral trade surpassed seven billion U.S. dollars in 2023.

To further promote bilateral exchanges, China implemented a visa-free transit policy for Norwegian citizens in November last year,

Ahead of the Norwegian prime minister's arrival, China's Foreign Ministry said China is ready to work with Norway to use the visit as an opportunity to further advance the sustained, healthy and stable development of bilateral ties.

Norwegian PM arrives in Beijing for official visit

Norwegian PM arrives in Beijing for official visit

Norwegian PM arrives in Beijing for official visit

Norwegian PM arrives in Beijing for official visit

Norwegian PM arrives in Beijing for official visit

Beijing's consumer gold market has been running hot during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, despite recent rises in the gold price on international markets.

Last week, the main contract for gold futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange (COMEX) has risen to over 2,600 U.S. dollars per ounce.

At a gold shop in Beijing's Xicheng District, the price of pure gold jewelry went up to about 737 yuan (about 104 U.S. dollars) per gram, but many shoppers are still looking to buy gold jewelry especially during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday and the end-of-summer wedding season.

"It is now more than 700 yuan (about 98.7 U.S. dollars) per gram, but when we were here about two months ago, it was only just above 600 yuan (about 84.6 U.S. dollars) per gram," said a customer.

"I'm getting married, so I came to have a look. Even if the price goes up, we still have to buy it," said another customer.

"I had nothing to do during the holidays, so I came here to take a look [at the gold jewelry]. I just bought a lucky charm bead and now I want to take a look at the bracelet," said another customer.

At the shop's gold investment counter, many consumers have been making inquiries about gold bars, which has long been considered a safe investment, although experts recommend caution in the rising gold market.

At the shop's gold investment counter, many consumers have been inquiring about gold bars, which have long been considered a safe investment. However, experts recommend caution in the rising gold market.

"Many investors will buy gold bars for medium- to long-term investment based on their expected price as part of their overall family asset allocation. We suggest that investors be more rational in their decisions," said Li Yang, a senior gold investment analyst.

Beijing consumer gold market remains hot despite rising prices

Beijing consumer gold market remains hot despite rising prices