Norway, China a logistic match for commerce

Norway and China are enjoying tremendous potential in service trade cooperation, thanks to the two countries' economic complementary advantages, said Knut Roald Sorlie, commercial counselor of the Norwegian embassy in China.

"Trade in services is a major part in the cooperation between Norway and China," Sorlie said, adding the sector is conducive to the transformation and upgrading of China's economic structure.

China is a shipbuilding powerhouse, while Norway is strong in ocean-related technologies, he said. "The cooperation between the two sides is highly complementary."

"Norway is a big player in the ocean industry, from maritime affairs, oil and gas to seafood," Sorlie said. "The ocean economy is very important to the bilateral trade cooperation."

During the ongoing 2019 China International Fair for Trade in Services, Norway has set up an exhibition booth and will hold the Norway China Business Services Seminar on Thursday, focusing on issues ranging from tourism, transportation and films to copyrights.

"This is the first time the country has taken part in the event, and we hope to see more cooperation," Sorlie said.

Norway shares some of the same policies with the European Union and is open to business investment in the sectors, such as manufacturing and services, he noted.

The Nordic country is focusing on data centers and expects more Chinese companies to invest in them, Sorlie said.

"Data centers are energy-consuming, and if Chinese companies set up their cloud systems in Norway, we can provide them with sustainable resources including clean energy."

In 2018, the volume of trade in services between Norway and China was 9.7 billion Norwegian krone ($1.12 billion), much higher than 6.4 billion krone in 2017, the official said.

To date, China's cumulative investment in Norway is about 11 billion Norwegian krone, and Norway's cumulative investment in China is about 5 billion krone, he added.

China and Norway are currently negotiating in free trade agreements, he said.

"This will be a very important milestone and I hope the two countries can succeed in building deep and ambitious free trade agreements, which will open up more trade between our two nations."

liangkaiyan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 05/29/2019 page7)