Norway and China agree trade talks
NORWAY is to start talks on a free trade deal with China before the end of the year, it was announced last month.
This was the main outcome of a high level trade mission to Beijing led by Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg.
Industry minister Monica Mæland said the two countries have agreed to trigger negotiations within the next five months, although it is not known how long it will take for such a deal to be finalised.
She said: ‘China is a trade superpower and a very important partner for Norway. Increased private sector cooperation will strengthen our economy.’
This was a powerful trade mission by any standards, but especially for a small country (population 5.2 million).
The Oslo team took 230 delegates, mainly seafood related. And they met more than 1,000 Chinese businessmen.
Premier Solberg held a 40-minute meeting in the People’s Great Hall in Beijing with China’s president Xi Jinping to lay the groundwork for free trade negotiations.
But the message was clear: China wants Norwegian fish, particularly salmon, trout and cod, and Norway is ready to supply it.
Relations between the two countries have been strained since 2010 when the then Norwegian government pledged support for the Nobel Peace Prize winner and Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.
Norwegian seafood exports dropped to a trickle, but relations thawed after the two countries restored diplomatic ties in December.
Norwegian seafood leaders believe that within a few years their exports to China could reach two billion kroners. In 2010 Norway exported 14,000 tonnes of salmon to China, but last year that figure was just 3,000 tonnes.