Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide in Beijing on November 11, 2025. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang called for enhanced practical cooperation on multiple fronts when he met with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide in Beijing on Tuesday, Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Ding, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said that the people of China and Norway enjoy a traditional friendship, and that bilateral relations have maintained healthy, stable development. The two countries' leaders reached an important consensus on advancing ties during their meeting last year, he added.

He urged deepened political mutual trust, strengthened strategic communication, and enhanced cooperation in fields such as the economy, trade, investment, green transformation and climate change response.

For his part, Eide praised China's progress on the green transition and reaffirmed Norway's firm commitment to the one-China policy. He voiced Norway's willingness to further elevate China-Norwegian relations and push cooperation across fields to new levels, Xinhua reported.

On the same day in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Eide, expressing China's willingness to work with Norway to uphold multilateralism together, oppose decoupling and severing supply chains, and promote a more just and equitable international system, Xinhua reported.

China regards Norway as an important and stable European partner, noted Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. China hopes that Norway will continue its positive, stable, pragmatic and rational policy toward China, he said. 

Eide reiterated Norway's firm adherence to the one-China policy and noted that as a leader in Europe's green transition, Norway fully opens its market to Chinese electric vehicles and has adopted a zero-tariff policy. Norwegian companies, he said, are optimistic about the Chinese market and look forward to expanding investment and cooperation with China.

Eide added that China's Global Governance Initiative is highly compatible with Norway's vision, and Norway is willing to work with China to uphold the spirit of the UN Charter and support a rules-based multilateral trading system.

Chinese analysts believe the timing of the meetings, which coincides with the state visit to China by the King Felipe VI of Spain on Monday, underscores the resilience of China-Europe relations and the pragmatic cooperation China is pursuing with Norway and other EU countries. 

The meetings also reiterate both sides' adherence to the one-China principle. Despite some divergences and tensions in China-Europe relations and occasional political noise from certain European politicians and media outlets, cooperation and positive engagement remain the dominant trend. "The cooperation between China and Norway is built on a solid foundation and demonstrates great vitality," Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

A string of high-level Norwegian visits to China has coincided with a steady warming of ties. Eide's previous visit to Beijing in February last year and his return this year both reflect the two sides' shared willingness to deepen cooperation and dispel misunderstandings that exist in China-Europe and China-Norway relations, Zhao Junjie, a senior research fellow at the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"As China rises, some European politicians frame it as a systemic rival and politicized China-related topics - such as the recent Yutong bus debates - showing a clear tendency to turn economic and trade matters into political ones," Zhao said. "At this point, the Norwegian foreign minister's visit to China, with its emphasis on cooperation and investment across multiple fields, help counter unfounded accusations and point to the right direction for China-Europe relations."

During the talks between Wang and Eide, both sides agreed to strengthen alignment of their development strategies, expand mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, maritime affairs, green development and innovation, and foster a stable business environment for companies from both countries, China's Foreign Ministry said.

"The further deepening of China-Norway relations depends on win-win cooperation, as both sides have clearly benefitted," Zhao said, noting that the two countries have broad prospects for cooperation in fisheries, the green economy, renewables, and electromechanical products.

"The pragmatic cooperation between China and Norway also serves as a useful benchmark for other European countries," Zhao added. "Close political exchanges and deepened bilateral cooperation bring tangible benefits, while hyping a 'China threat' and overstretching security concerns only undermine collaboration. Pragmatic engagement, by contrast, drives trade and growth."