70 years of diplomatic ties with China must be celebrated. At least that is what Foreign Minister Eide Barth Eide and his Chinese colleague Wang Yi think. For the first time in five years, a Norwegian foreign minister is visiting China. On Monday, Eide spoke with Yi, before he will meet Deputy Prime Minister Ding Xuexiang on Tuesday. Eide’s first meeting of the day is with Liu Jianchao, one of the Communist Party’s highest-ranking leaders in international politics. Photo: Philip Lote / news In addition to discussing the war in Ukraine and the Middle East, the two foreign ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation between the countries in several areas. – China is the world’s second largest economy with a population of around 1.4 billion. They are an important actor for almost everything we are concerned with, says Eide to news. The green shift is one of the areas in which the countries will cooperate more closely. In a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Eide writes that, among other things, they will work to protect biological diversity and tackle climate change. – Since the whole world will transition away from fossil energy, it is interesting to discuss green transition with China. This is also a field where China is far ahead in the development of new and alternative technology. BYD electric cars waiting to be loaded onto a ship In 2022, China overtook Japan as the world’s largest vehicle exporter. Photo: AFP China is the world’s largest producer of electric vehicles, and invests heavily in renewable energy. Human rights were the topic After the meeting, the Chinese foreign minister is said to have praised the Norwegian government. – China values the Norwegian government’s objective, rational and friendly view of China’s development, says Yi, according to NTB. But human rights must also have been a topic during today’s meeting. – We remind you that Norway and China have different views on this, explain why, and sometimes also address more specific issues, says Eide. The UN has been concerned about the human rights situation in China, which according to Amnesty is the country in the world that executes the most people. The authorities probably execute over 1,000 people each year, but the exact number is considered a state secret. Last year, two people were sentenced to 14 and 12 years in prison respectively for having “undermined the power of the state” in a trial that was conducted behind closed doors. The two have been leading members of a civil rights group demanding reforms and criticizing the government for corruption. Discrimination against the Uighurs In addition, the Chinese authorities are criticized for the treatment of the Muslim minority Uighurs who live in Xinjiang province. Uyghur refugees in Turkey demonstrate to ask for news of their relatives. Photo: YASIN AKGUL / AFP US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken has also previously said that China must be held responsible for the “genocide” of the Muslim Uighur minority. According to the foreign minister, he himself discussed both the situation in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong during the meeting with Yi: – I believe that it is both right and important to talk about both Xinjiang and Hong Kong, and what is happening in Tibet, for example, and the general development in this country, in a respectful way. Eide believes that this is compatible with strengthening trade relations. – States must be able to both agree and disagree at the same time.
ttn-69
– It is important to talk about the Uighurs and Hong Kong – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
