On Friday, Qin Gang will meet both his Norwegian colleague Anniken Huitfeldt and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. This is the first time Qin, who got the job at the end of last year, is visiting Norway as part of a tour of Europe. Earlier this week he was in Germany and France. After the talks on Friday morning, Huitfeldt held a joint press conference at 1.45pm. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry says these will be important topics on the agenda: Cooperation between China and Norway Global issues such as climate and environment Human rights Current international issues about the war in Ukraine – It is important to have regular dialogue with China, as one of the most important players in international politics and global economy, said Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt when the plans were first announced. – This visit is a good opportunity to discuss issues of common interest and promote initiatives that are important for Norway. There will be a press conference with Huitfeldt and Qin after the talks on Friday. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTBD There will be a press conference with Huitfeldt and Qin after the talks on Friday. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB Wants Norway to address crimes against the Uighurs The Norwegian government has received pressure from several quarters to address human rights violations in China, and especially the suppression of Uighurs in Xinjiang province. The Chinese authorities are to blame for seeing a million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in a prison camp in the region. Liberal party leader Guri Melby believes that Norway should take a clearer stance in relation to China. Photo: Pål Hansen / news Last year, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCH) published a report which concluded that China may have committed crimes against humanity. Liberal leader Guri Melby is critical of the fact that the meeting on Friday takes place the same week that the government rejected a proposal in the Storting to assess whether this treatment constitutes genocide. – I strongly urge the prime minister and the foreign minister to address both China’s mass surveillance and crimes against the Uyghurs, says Melby to news. Beijing says the camps are necessary in the fight against extremism, and has portrayed the UN report as a Western smear campaign. China’s brutal treatment of Uighurs has led to strong reactions around the world. The photo shows a Uyghur woman being taken away by the police during a protest in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo: DILARA SENKAYA / Reuters China’s brutal treatment of Uyghurs has led to strong reactions around the world. The picture shows a Uyghur woman being taken away by the police during a protest in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo: DILARA SENKAYA / Reuters Other topics that the Liberal Party wants to focus on are a repeal of the security law the Chinese authorities have introduced in Hong Kong, and the protection of freedom and democracy in Taiwan. – I don’t quite see what Norway has to gain from being one of the friendliest western countries towards China. Despite everything, there is reason to believe that China wants to increase division in Europe, says Melby further. – I think it is more important that we take a clear position in line with the US and the European Commission that China must not threaten Taiwan’s democracy. The US and the EU have different strategies While the US is increasingly cutting ties with the Chinese economy, the EU is talking about making it less risky to conduct economic cooperation and trade with China. As early as this week, the EU will discuss possible sanctions against eight Chinese companies. They believe they may have supplied technology and equipment to Russia that could be used as weapons in the war in Ukraine. Germany is currently preparing a new strategy towards China. This will probably turn the German economy away, towards investments in the USA, Europe and other countries in Asia. Photo: POOL / Reuters Germany is currently preparing a new strategy towards China. This will probably turn the German economy away, towards investments in the USA, Europe and other countries in Asia. Photo: POOL / Reuters China’s economic investment in Europe is also lower than it has been in ten years, the Financial Times reported earlier this week. Until now, Norway has been closer to European policy when it comes to interaction with China. Both the EU and Norway have shelved work on their respective trade agreements with the superpower. FRP leader Sylvi Listhaug believes that Norway must give up this work for good. – Of course, I will want to continue trading with China, both Christmas decorations and games and we will sell salmon, she says to news. Norway should scrap work on a new trade agreement with China, Listhaug believes. Photo: ISMAIL BURAK AKKAN / news – But we must have learned by now that depending on this type of regime for important goods, infection control equipment, medicines, important raw materials for industrial production, it can potentially be scary and dangerous. Listhaug therefore asks the government to “wake up early”, and be more critical of the kind of cooperation one enters into with China. – We see that China may become a far greater challenge for the western democratic world in the long term than Russia is, even though we have really experienced first hand what it means to be dependent on them when it comes to energy. – I think it is important that Europe, the USA, the entire western world agree on a strategy for how to deal with China. I think that in the long term it will be important, especially if we now get a situation linked to Taiwan that can put the whole world to the test. – Very demanding – Taking care of China and navigating the relationship with them is very demanding, says Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr, who is a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Foreign Policy (Nupi). Gåsemyr researches in particular Chinese politics, but also Norwegian economic and knowledge-related cooperation with China. Photo: Christopher Olssøn – Whether it concerns the environment, poverty, health problems, or conditions for economic trade, China is there as a huge and important premise supplier. At the same time, there are several issues that shape how Norway takes a position towards China as a major power. Among these is the war in Ukraine, which is considered “extraordinarily important” for Norway and Europe, says Gåsemyr. Russia’s war of invasion creates major challenges for China’s foreign policy. China is working hard to ensure that Europe does not distance itself from them to the same extent as the USA is now doing. At the same time, many European countries have expressed strong dissatisfaction with the fact that Beijing has not condemned the invasion, and that Xi is not exerting stronger pressure on Putin. Gåsemyr thinks the Ukraine war, and where China stands in relation to it, is very important for their relationship with Norway and Europe. Photo: Natacha Pisarenko / APGåsemyr thinks the Ukraine war, and where China stands in relation to it, is very important for their relationship with Norway and Europe. Photo: Natacha Pisarenko / AP Gåsemyr believes that Huitfeldt will be clear about Norway’s position when it comes to such matters of principle, but will still show a “willingness and desire to cooperate”. – It is difficult, then, to be a politician and handle it for a government. Then it is much easier to be in the opposition, or outside the government, and have strong issues of principle that you can highlight. – We cannot get away from the fact that we are a small country with big interests, which has everything to lose if the world stops interacting.
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China’s foreign minister visits Norway – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
