Christmas time is here and the year is coming to an end. The Royal Norwegian Consulate General in Shanghai would like to take this opportunity to share some moments from the past year, while we are preparing to embark upon the new challenges that will arise in 2012.
2011 has been an interesting year for Norway in China, a year which has been challenging, but at the same time has created new opportunities. The establishment of China`s 12th five-year plan has formed a new path for the country`s development and, despite the global financial crisis, China is still experiencing strong growth.
In Shanghai, 2011 has been a year where marine sector activities, environment, energy, and the mutual requirements of China and Norway have been focused topics. To encourage and stimulate bilateral cooperation, the Consulate General has co- hosted two large seminars; “The Northern Sea Route –A new opportunity for the international shipping community” and “LNG- A Green Fuel for the Future: Opportunities for cooperation between Norway and China”. The two seminars were very successful and drew a large audience of both Chinese and Norwegian business professionals.
But bilateral cooperation has also taken place at the cultural arena. Several Norwegian musicians, such as the Chen sisters, 120 Days, and Flunk have shown the Shanghai audience that Norway has much to offer within a great range of musical genres. In March, the well known Norwegian philosopher, Lars Svensen, gave a face to Norwegian literature when he performed at the Shanghai International Literary Festival. I am also happy to tell you that plays by playwrights Jon Fosse and Henrik Ibsen have been staged at several Shanghai theaters.
2011 has also been an important year for Sino- Norwegian research and education. Several projects involving cross country knowledge exchange have taken place at Shanghai`s top universities during the year. A great token of success was the celebration of the 15 years anniversary of the Fudan Universary and BI- Norwegian School of management collaboration. The former Prime Minister of Norway, Gro Harlem Brundtland, was the main speaker.
Looking back upon this year`s achievements, we would like to thank all Norwegians and friends of Norway in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Anhui for your contributions to making 2011 a year to remember, and we are looking forward to our continuing contact and cooperation in 2012.
We wish you all a merry Christmas and a wonderful new year.
Today one hundred years have passed since Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his expedition became the first to reach the South Pole. In a speech at the South Pole Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg today honoured Amundsen and his men. He also paid tribute to the bravery of British explorer Robert F. Scott and his expedition.Read more >
On November 28th, key industry participants from both Chinese and Norwegian companies joined in a seminar discussing opportunities for cooperation between Norway and China in the LNG-sector.Read more >
More than 150 countries and a wide range of organisations have reached agreement on a common framework for development cooperation at the high-level forum in South Korea. For the first time, China, India and Brazil are also on board.Read more >
