In Beijing, Mr. Giske met with the Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Mr. Li Yizhong. The minister also attended the launch of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra’s China tour at Century Theatre.
Expo 2010 Shanghai is now well underway with between 15 and 25.000 visitors daily to the Norwegian pavilion. Mr. Giske was present to mark Norway Day, which was held at the Norwegian pavilion on the 28th of May, along with distinguished guests such as HRH Crown Prince Haakon. In addition, Mr. Giske attended the Maritime Summit organized by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. This was also held at the Norwegian Expo pavilion.
The program in Shenzhen and Guangzhou related closely to innovation and high tech. Mr. Giske met with the top management of Huawei to discuss the extensive co-operation with Telenor and other Norwegian companies. Mr. Giske promoted exchange within the IT, maritime and seafood sectors while he was in the region. In Chongqing, Mr. Giske attended Norway days, a set of cultural and business related events organized by the mid-Norwegian county Sør-Trøndelag and Chongqing.
The busy and extensive visit is a clear demonstration of the close and growing Sino-Norwegian cooperation in many fields. It is also indicative of the opportunities attached to Expo 2010 Shanghai. The ongoing FTA negotiations between Norway and China was naturally also one of the main topics. In June the eighth round will be held in Oslo, Norway.