Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store just wrapped up his three-day visit to China on Wednesday and called for stronger bilateral cooperation between China and Norway.
The prime minister visited a shipyard in Haimen of east China's Jiangsu Province on Wednesday morning, where he attended a ceremony for a vessel built by the China Merchants Heavy Industry for Hoegh Autoliners, a Norway-based shipping company.
It is the second vessel China Merchants has built for the shipping firm and is also one of the biggest green vehicle carriers currently under construction in the world.
At a media reception on Wednesday night in east China's Shanghai, Store told Chinese media that Norway is willing to deepen cooperation with China, especially in industries where the European nation has strengths.
"I have signed a memorandum of understanding on closer cooperation on climate related issues at the international stage and also encouraging our companies to work together on the green transition, and for Norway that means the maritime sector, it means the seafood sector, and means industries coming out of the fact that Norway is a coastal state," said the Norwegian prime minister.
On Wednesday afternoon, Store also visited Shanghai's Fudan University where he gave a speech to students. He also met with Shanghai city officials.
In Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and top legislator Zhao Leji met with the Norwegian prime minister and the two sides reached consensus that China and Norway will strengthen cooperation in environmental protection, energy transition and maritime shipping.
Norwegian prime minister wraps up China trip with focus on deepening bilateral ties
China has seen a sharp surge in interregional passenger trips in the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival which ends on Tuesday, with the total number of passenger trips in the entire holiday season expected to reach a record high of more than 600 million, according to the latest official data released by the Ministry of Transport.
Mid-Autumn Festival is traditionally a cherished occasion for family reunions, sparking an annual wave of travel to see loved ones or simply to enjoy time off from work and studies. The holiday runs from Sept 15 to 17 this year.
The data from the Ministry of Transport show that during the three-day holiday, the average daily interregional passenger flow is expected to exceed 205 million, an increase of 28.2 percent over the same period of 2023. In particular, the railway passenger volume is expected to exceed 42.99 million.
As the impact of Typhoon Bebinca weakens, passenger train services on the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, Shanghai-Kunming High-Speed Railway, Hangzhou-Shenzhen High-Speed Railway and other lines have gradually resumed operation. Railway authorities in many places have launched special tourist train services with festival-related themes, promoting integrated development of "railway + cultural tourism".
Regarding highway transportation, the travel flow shows a tidal trait, mainly for short- and medium-distance self-driving. New energy vehicles account for more than half of the highway travel flow. In areas with concentrated charging demand such as scenic spots and highway service areas, transportation, electricity and other departments have enhanced efforts in services to ensure that car owners can charge their vehicles in a safe and orderly manner.
During the holiday, the civil aviation sector is expected to handle a total of 5.1116 million passenger trips nationwide, with popular routes concentrated between the four major city clusters of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in north China, the Yangtze River Delta in east China, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao area in south China, and the Chengdu-Chongqing region in southwest China.
As of early morning on Tuesday, the inbound and outbound passenger flow at the Guangzhou Baiyun Airport exceeded 10 million, a year-on-year increase of 19 percent, a record high in the past five years.
China sees sharp surge in interregional passenger trips during Mid-Autumn Festival holiday
