Institutional Approaches to Deepening China-nordic Sub-regional Cooperation

The bilateral ties between China and the Nordic countries are becoming closer and their multilateral cooperation is taking increasingly diverse forms. In view of the high compatibility of the two sides’ development strategies and the complementarity of their resource endowments, it is imperative to institutionalize Sino-nordic subregional cooperation.

The Nordic countries have a highly developed economy and a high degree of regional integration, with significant advantages in technological innovation, energy conservation, environmental protection, and social security, etc. Enhancing cooperation with the Nordic countries is indispensable for China to intensify its efforts to open up to the outside world and deepen its comprehensive strategic partnership with the European Union. In view of this, the article attempts to assess the existing cooperation mechanisms and levels between China and the Nordic countries and explore pathways to upgrade the cooperation mechanisms.

Status Quo of China-nordic Cooperation

The Nordic region consists of five sovereign states, including Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland, and three self-governing territories, including the Faroe Islands (Denmark), Greenland (Denmark) and the Aland Islands (Finland). With geographical proximity, these places have similar history and traditions, and share many national interests. The Nordic countries prioritize issues such as environmental protection, social welfare, technological innovation, sustainable development and Arctic governance, while they view as their core interests upholding the principle of free trade in an open market economy and defending the unique status of Nordic values Zhang Weipeng is a PHD candidate at the School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University; Yu Xiaofeng is Professor at the School of Public Affairs and Director of the Center for Non-traditional Security and Peaceful Development Studies, Zhejiang University.