Chinese, Norwegian FMs meet on sidelines of UN General Assembly

NEW YORK, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met here on Wednesday with Foreign Minister of Norway Anniken Huitfeldt on the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.

Wang said in recent years, the practical cooperation between the two countries has made positive progress, noting that bilateral trade last year increased by nearly 40 percent year-on-year, the FTA has entered the final stage, and a new version of the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement is about to be signed.

Facing transformations and chaos in the world, stability and confidence are more important than gold, he said, adding that the two sides should respect each other and treat each other as equals, enhance understanding, eliminate misunderstandings, maintain the sound momentum of healthy and stable development of China-Norway ties, strengthen exchanges at all levels, and stimulate practical cooperation for more results.

China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with Norway in multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, and jointly practice true multilateralism, Wang added.

Huitfeldt said Norway is pleased that both sides have overcome the pandemic and have kept boosting bilateral relations.

Norway and China enjoy great potential for cooperation in climate change, economic transformation, renewable energy and green development, she said, adding that Norway is looking forward to accelerating a free trade agreement with the Chinese side and continuing constructive cooperation.

Wang said China has played an important role in facilitating the signing of the Paris Agreement, and will continue to play its role as a major country and shoulder its due responsibilities for the future of humanity.

China is steadfast in following the path of green, low-carbon and sustainable development, and has set an ambitious goal of peaking carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060, which will achieve the biggest reduction in carbon emission intensity in the world, he said.

He also said the Chinese side vigorously develops renewable energy, with electricity respectively generated by wind and solar power ranking the first worldwide, as well as the world's largest production and sales of new energy vehicles.

Developed countries are expected to fulfill their commitments and provide financial, technological and capacity-building support to developing countries, Wang added.

Huitfeldt said Europe is deeply worried about the current situation in Ukraine and hopes that China will play an important role.

Wang expounded the principled position of the Chinese government, stressing that what Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be fully observed, the legitimate security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously, and all efforts that are conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be supported is China's fundamental principle in handling the Ukraine issue.

The international community should support all efforts conducive to peace and meet challenges brought about by the spillover of the crisis to the world economic recovery, he said, adding that China will continue to play a constructive role in promoting peace talks in its own way.