President Xi Jinping met with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in Beijing on Monday, saying that China is willing to work with Norway to promote the continuous development of friendly cooperation.
Xi asked Store to convey his greetings to King Harald V. He said since the two countries established diplomatic ties 70 years ago, the two peoples have respected, appreciated and learned from each other, forging a valuable friendship.
Furthering China-Norway friendly cooperation complies with the will of the two peoples, the fundamental interests of the two countries, and a global trend of maintaining closer ties among countries to share weal and woe, Xi said.
He noted that today's world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, which are testing whether the international community can make the right choice.
China will continue to follow the path of peaceful development. By further deepening reform in an all-round way and advancing Chinese modernization, China will inject stability and certainty into a world fraught with changes and turbulence, and create more opportunities for the common development of all countries, Xi said.
Stressing that friendship and cooperation dominated the bilateral relationship between China and Norway in the past 70 years, Xi said that historical experience shows that upholding mutual respect and seeking common ground while shelving differences, including respecting each other's core interests and accommodating each other's major concerns, are vital to maintain the stable and sound development of bilateral relations.
The two countries should apply their respective advantages to expand practical cooperation in environmental protection, energy transformation, maritime shipping, agricultural and fishery products, and electric vehicles, strengthen collaboration in education, science and technology, culture, tourism, and winter sports, and enhance people-to-people exchanges, especially among the youths, Xi said.
China and Norway share broad consensus on maintaining world peace and security, addressing climate change and conserving biodiversity, among other global challenges, said Xi, adding that China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with Norway based on the United Nations and other multilateral platforms, practice true multilaterism, and promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.
Store conveyed the cordial greetings from King Harald V to Xi, saying that Norway is one of the first Nordic countries to establish diplomatic relationship with China. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 70 years ago, the two countries have enjoyed good bilateral relations and carried out dialog and cooperation with mutual respect, he noted.
Norway respects China's sovereignty, abides by the one-China principle, and is willing to continue to respect each other's core interests and major concerns with China, and learn from each other for mutual benefit and win-win results, said Store.
Noting that China's development is full of vitality and holds a great deal of successful experience worth learning from, Store said that Norway looks forward to expanding cooperation with China in fields of green development, climate change, maritime shipping, agriculture and fisheries, new energy vehicles and artificial intelligence.
Store also said that China plays a vital role in addressing global challenges and dealing with major international issues concerning world peace and security.
Norway supports free trade, stands ready to enhance communication and cooperation with China within multilateral frameworks including the G20, and supports closer cooperation between Europe and China, said Store.
The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis and other hotspot issues.
Xi underscored that China encourages and supports all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis, and will continue to promote peace talks and play a constructive role in advancing the political settlement of the crisis, adding that he hopes all parties can accumulate favorable conditions for the political settlement of the crisis through dialog.
Xi meets Norwegian PM in Beijing
