Wang Yi meets with Iceland's foreign minister

Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his Icelandic counterpart Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir in Beijing on Thursday and called for bilateral ties to be elevated to new heights as the two countries mark the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

He noted that Iceland has always been pioneering in developing relations with China, that Iceland clearly supported the restoration of China's lawful seat at the United Nations, and that Iceland was the first European country to sign a bilateral free-trade agreement and a local currency swap agreement with China.

These milestones carry great significance in the history of both China-Iceland and China-European Union relations, and have played an exemplary role in China-EU engagement, he added.

Wang said the key to the success of China-Iceland relations lies in upholding the principle that all countries, large and small, are equal, respecting each other's independently chosen paths of development, and achieving win-win cooperation based on mutual trust.

The two sides should continue to consolidate friendly mutual trust, and support each other in safeguarding their respective sovereignty, security, and development interests, Wang said.

Highlighting China's huge market and strong commitment to high-level opening-up, he said China is ready to share development opportunities with Iceland, tap cooperation potential, and strengthen collaboration in trade, geothermal energy, green transition, marine affairs, and Arctic affairs.

The two sides should also boost exchanges in tourism, joint research, and personnel training to enhance people-to-people bonds, he added.

Amid the current volatile international landscape, the two sides should enhance coordination and make new contributions to global peace and stability, he added.

Gunnarsdottir said Iceland admires China's tremendous development achievements, attaches great importance to bilateral relations, and will continue to uphold the one-China principle.

Iceland appreciates China's valuable support in safeguarding its core interests such as fisheries, she said, adding that both countries are open economies, and that cooperation has yielded fruitful results since the signing of the free-trade agreement in 2013.

The successful launch of direct flights between the two countries, she said, will further facilitate people-to-people exchanges.

Iceland is willing to strengthen cooperation with China, uphold the rule of law, free trade, and multilateral mechanisms, and jointly address global challenges, she added.