 Norway eager for green cooperation with China
By Liang Qiwen (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-04 07:42
"China and Norway have established diplomatic relations for 54 years," Erik Solheim said. "South China is taking a very important status in China's economic, historic and cultural development. Therefore, setting up a consulate general in Guangzhou was very necessary." The Royal Norwegian Consulate General officially opened in Guangzhou yesterday. The office will provide visa services to people living in Guangdong, Fujian and Hainan provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region from October, Consul General Tormod Endresen said. This is Norway's second consulate general in China; the first is in Shanghai. Norway is very advanced in shipping and oil exploration, Solheim said. "Cooperating in these sectors will be very helpful for Guangdong and its neighboring provinces' development." "We also hope to reinforce cooperation with South China in education, science and technology, culture and tourism." Guangdong, too, is very keen on working with Norway in environmental protection, Wang Yang, Communist Party of China's Guangdong secretary, said. Wrapping up his four-day visit to China, Solheim promised to bring in some advanced environment technologies to the South China. On Monday, Solheim signed a memorandum of understanding on environmental cooperation with Minister of Environmental Protection Zhou Shengxian in Beijing. Apart from attending political meetings, he also visited the China Red Cross to learn about the quake relief work in Sichuan province. He met with Chinese students studying Norwegian, and visited a coal mine in Shanxi province, too, to learn more about China's coal industry. (China Daily 07/04/2008 page11) |
