Norwegian PM elaborates on partnership with EU

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, in an interview with China Media Group (CMG), elaborated on why he called his country "an insider on the outside" of the European Union (EU).

Store was speaking with the CMG on a high-speed train from Beijing to Shanghai on Tuesday, part of his three-day official visit to China.

"We've had two referendums about joining the European Union and both ended up 52 to 48 against and that we have to respect. But you know, most of our trade is with the European Union. So it's in my interest to have a good relationship, a trusted relationship, and in that sense, to be on the inside. And then, beyond this market, you know, these are our neighbors, Nordic neighbors - Sweden, Finland and Denmark. These are our European partners. So on a number of other issues linked to security and research and all the other issues beyond trade, these are our closest friends. So that's why I say, you know, I'm very much on the inside, although I'm a member from the outside," he said.

Norway, as a member state of the European Economic Area, was the EU's sixth most important partner for trade in goods in 2023, with exports to the bloc reaching 119.2 billion euros and imports amounting to 61.7 billion euros.

Norway is the biggest exporter of fish and aquaculture products to the EU.

Norwegian PM elaborates on partnership with EU

Norwegian PM elaborates on partnership with EU

Norwegian PM elaborates on partnership with EU

Norwegian PM elaborates on partnership with EU

Norwegian PM elaborates on partnership with EU

Norwegian PM elaborates on partnership with EU

The Chinese mainland's box office revenue for the just concluded Mid-Autumn Festival holiday period reached 389 million yuan (around 54.8 million U.S. dollars), according to the China Film Administration.

The holiday, spanning from Sunday to Tuesday, attracted 9.57 million moviegoers, with domestic films earning 332 million yuan, accounting for 85.35 percent of the total revenue.

Drama film "Stand by Me" topped this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday ticket sales chart with 123 million yuan.

Comedy "A Frozen Rage" that debuted on Sept. 15 came in second with nearly 50 million yuan, followed by the drama film "Like a Rolling Stone" that garnered 36.2 million yuan.

Other notable performances included "Enjoy Yourself" with over 27.8 million yuan, and the crime film "Go for Broke", which pocketed almost 19.7 million yuan.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the night when the moon reaches its fullest and brightest on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar.

China's Mid-Autumn holiday box office reaches 389 million yuan