Xi Jinping meets Norwegian PM-Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with visiting Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 9, 2024. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in Beijing on Monday, saying China is willing to work with Norway to promote the continued development of friendly cooperation.

Xi asked Store to convey his greetings to King Harald V.M. Xi said that since the two countries established diplomatic ties 70 years ago, the two peoples have respected, appreciated and learned from each other, forging a precious friendship.

Strengthening friendly cooperation between China and Norway conforms to the will of the two peoples, the fundamental interests of the two countries and the global trend of maintaining closer ties between countries to share weal and woe, Xi said.

He stressed that today's world is experiencing profound changes not seen in a century, which are testing the international community's ability to make the right choice.

China will continue to follow the path of peaceful development. By further deepening reform in an all-round manner and advancing China's modernization, China will inject stability and certainty into a world beset with changes and turbulence and create more opportunities for the common development of all countries, Xi said.

Xi noted that the economies of the two countries are highly complementary and have achieved fruitful cooperation results in various fields. He called on the two sides to expand practical cooperation in such areas as environmental protection, energy transformation, maritime affairs and shipping, agricultural and fishery products, and electric vehicles.

He also called for intensifying personnel exchanges and strengthening cooperation in areas such as education, culture, tourism and winter sports.

Xi noted that China and Norway share broad consensus on maintaining world peace and security, combating climate change, protecting biodiversity and tackling other global challenges. He said China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with Norway at the United Nations and other multilateral platforms, practice true multilateralism, and promote an equal, orderly and multipolar world as well as economic globalization that benefits all. China hopes Norway will play a positive role in promoting the sound development of China-Europe relations, he added.

Store conveyed King Harald V's cordial greetings to President Xi. Store said Norway respects China's sovereignty, firmly adheres to the one-China policy, and is willing to continue working with China to respect each other's core interests and major concerns.

Store said China's development is full of vitality and Norway has significant success experience. Norway is willing to expand cooperation with China, especially in areas such as green development, climate change, maritime affairs and shipping, agriculture and fisheries industries, new energy vehicles and artificial intelligence, he said.

Noting that Norway supports free trade, Store said the country is willing to strengthen communication and cooperation with China within multilateral frameworks such as the G20, and supports enhanced cooperation between Europe and China.

The two sides exchanged views on the Ukrainian crisis and other current issues. Xi stressed that China encourages and supports all efforts for a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis and will continue to promote peace talks and play a constructive role in promoting a political settlement. Xi expressed the hope that all parties will work together to create favorable conditions for the political settlement of the crisis through dialogue.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with visiting Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 9, 2024. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)