Photo from Jiemian.com

Norway is set to expand seafood exports to China because of Chinese people's rising demand of marine products and the normalization of bilateral relations after a long hiatus, according to a market research report by Norway Seafood Council (NSC), Jiemian.com reported on Nov. 1.

Statistics shows that the export volume of seafood from Norway to China reached 115,000 tons in the first three quarters of 2017, up 32 percent on a year-on-year basis.

Apart from Norway’s salmon and clipfish which are popular among Chinese, Norway’s other 13 seafood species, including Halibut, mackerel, and capelin, also have promising market potential in China, said Sigmund Bjørgo, Director China of NSC.

The report pointed out that Chinese people’s consumption of the 13 seafood species saw an average annual growth rate of 17 percent from 2012 to 2017. It reached 119,000 tons in 2016, almost doubling that of 62,600 tons in 2012.

Since supply of seafood in China has not yet met the reported market demand, NSC released a plan early this year to increase its export sales of seafood to China to 10 billion RMB ($1.51 billion) by 2025.

According to the plan, the export volume of salmon and clipfish from Norway to China is projected to reach 156,000 tons and 40,000 tons, respectively, by 2025, and other seafood will rise too, the director noted.

He added that he is optimistic about achieving this plan, as Norway has always provided quality seafood products that are widely recognized and China’s online and offline shopping channels have greatly improved.