A participant shows a deep-sea fish at the 24th China Fisheries and Seafood Expo (CFSE) in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Oct. 30, 2019. Founded in 1996, the CFSE is held annually and is one of the world's largest fishery expos. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Norway and China are currently negotiating a bilateral free trade agreement, which is an important symbol for Norway to boost economic cooperation with China amid rising protectionism in global trade, said Harald T. Nesvik, Norwegian minister of Fisheries and Seafood.
QINGDAO, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Seafood exports from Norway to China are steadily growing, and Norway is willing to further strengthen cooperation between Chinese and Norwegian companies in areas of fisheries and aquaculture, said Harald T. Nesvik, Norwegian minister of Fisheries and Seafood.
As the world's largest producer and exporter of Atlantic salmon, it is important for Norway to sell salmon to the Chinese market, Nesvik said on the sidelines of the ongoing China Fisheries and Seafood Expo in the eastern coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong Province.
In 2018, the country produced 1.28 million tonnes of Atlantic salmon with a sales value of 64.58 billion Norwegian kroner (about 7.06 billion U.S. dollars).
China will consume 12 percent of global salmon production by 2025, up from 4 percent from 2017, according to the estimates by the Norwegian Seafood Council, the approval authority and official promoter for Norwegian seafood exporters.
Norway and China are currently negotiating a bilateral free trade agreement, which is an important symbol for Norway to boost economic cooperation with China amid rising protectionism in global trade, said Nesvik.
The minister also highlighted Norway's strict regulation of the salmon farming industry, adding that the country aims to develop the industry in a sustainable way. ■
