Together with representatives from the seafood industry, Minister of Fisheries, Per Sandberg (Progress Party), travels to China at the end of May.
The visit comes after the political contact between Norway and China was fully restored after Prime Minister Erna Solberg’s (Conservatives) official visit to the country recently.
– China is an important market for Norwegian seafood. At the same time, there is a huge potential for further development of trade in seafood, Sandberg stated in a press release.
– The visit will be important to follow up the dialogue on the framework conditions for Norwegian seafood exports to China in light of the normalization of our political and diplomatic relations.
Sandberg will attend a seafood conference arranged by the Norway’s Seafood Council.
Political talks are also going to be held.
– There are great opportunities in China, not only for seafood. Norwegian companies are also world-leading suppliers of technology, equipment and services, says Sandberg.
During the Prime Minister’s visit, Norway and China agreed to resume the talks on a free trade agreement within five months. Meetings in the Norwegian-Chinese Economic Commission will also resume.
China stopped all political contact with Norway as a result of the Nobel peace prize being awarded to the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in 2010.
Norwegian salmon exports were severely affected: Norway had a market share of 94 percent in 2011, compared to 2 percent today. The Seafood Council estimates that the share can reach two thirds when the relationship is normalized.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
