China Iceland Photo: VCG

Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir's visit to China is expected to further boost bilateral ties, with cooperation in various areas including trade and technology in focus, a Chinese expert said on Tuesday. The visit also reflects Iceland's efforts to balance ties with major powers amid tensions in the Arctic.

Gunnarsdottir is scheduled to visit China from October 26 to 31 at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Monday.

"As we mark the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Iceland this year, the Chinese side looks forward to in-depth exchanges with the Icelandic side on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest to further enhance trust, advance cooperation and renew our friendship," Guo Jiakun, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

China and Iceland have maintained relatively stable bilateral relations, with trade and technology cooperation expected to be a key focus of the visit, Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times.

Cui said that Iceland's abundant geothermal resources have long provided a foundation for cooperation, with the two countries having established projects in geothermal exploration, development and utilization, as well as business exchanges. These longstanding ties create opportunities to further expand economic and technological cooperation, the expert said. 

In 2025, when Icelandic President Halla Tómasdóttir was in China for the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women, the two sides reached important common understandings on deepening cooperation in such areas as economy and trade, geothermal energy, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges. 

Highlighting growing bilateral exchanges, Air China launched a Beijing-Reykjavik service on Monday, the first scheduled passenger service between China and Iceland operated by a Chinese mainland airline, according to media reports.

The Icelandic Foreign Minister's visit to China also comes as geopolitical competition intensifies, particularly in the Arctic, with the US showing growing interest in the region, as it apparently seeks to expand influence in Iceland and other Arctic countries, particularly amid tensions over Greenland, Cui noted.

Notably, the Associated Press reported that Iceland has been uneasy about the US' intentions toward it after the US president posted a map showing the colors of the US flag sprawling across all of North America and extending to Iceland and Greenland. 

Recently, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio paid a visit to Iceland and reassured the country that the US administration has no designs on the island but shares its deep concerns about Arctic security as tensions between the US and Russia rise in the High North and elsewhere, per the Associated Press.

Against this backdrop, "Iceland's efforts to strengthen ties with China reflect a broader desire to maintain a balance in its relations with major powers, a challenge that has become increasingly important for Reykjavik," Cui said.