Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg will arrive in China next week to hold discussions with President Xi Jinping on A host of bilateral issues, Norway said on Friday. The visit is likely to prove a big step in normalizing the bilateral ties after both countries decided to restore their diplomatic ties last year.

Like Us on Facebook

The visit will take place between April 7-10, with Solberg slated to meet Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and other high profile officials during the visit.

"China is our largest trading partner in Asia. The normalization of our relations will create major opportunities for Norwegian businesses and for job creation. We also hope to resume negotiations on a free trade agreement with China," Solberg said in a statement.

The Norwegian leader is the last high profile leader to meet Xi before he flies to the U.S. for a highly-anticipated meeting with President Donald Trump.      

China and Norway Relation hit by Noble Prize Fiasco  

The relationship between Beijing and Oslo got strained after the Noble prize fiasco in 2010. The Noble committee's decision to award the 2010 Noble peace prize award to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo did not go down too well with Beijing.

China saw the decision as yet another attempt by the western forces to defame the Asian country on the pretext of human right violations.

After the tensions had settled down over the award, Norway made efforts to woo Beijing. For instance, it accepted China's application to join the Arctic Council as an observer. The Solberg government also went to the extent of refusing to meet the Dalai Lama, whom Chinese government considers a dangerous insurgent.

Oslo's efforts were finally rewarded, after China agreed to resume full diplomatic relationship with the Scandinavian country in mid-December last year.  

TagsErna Solberg, china, Norway, China and Norway, Norwegian