Norway’s Prime Minister is visiting China as part of a restoration of full contacts between the two countries more than six years after Beijing froze Oslo out over the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to an imprisoned Chinese dissident.
Following a welcoming ceremony on Friday, Erna Solberg was told by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang that her visit symbolized the normalization of the China-Norwegian relationship.
In 2010, Norway’s Nobel committee awarded Liu Xiaobo the peace prize, infuriating China. Although Norway’s government has no say over the Nobel panel’s choices, China suspended a bilateral trade deal and restricted imports of Norwegian salmon.
In December, the countries said normal relations have resumed. The Chinese Foreign Ministry then said that Norway “made important and explicit statements on issues concerning China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
