Maritime industries at the heart of Norway-Shandong cooperation

Text by Signe Brudeset, Norwegian Ambassador to China. first published in Dazhong Daily, July 30.

 I recently had the great pleasure of visiting Shandong province. During my visit to Jinan and Qingdao in early June, I was warmly welcomed by His Excellency Governor Li Ganjie and other esteemed representatives of the leadership of the province. I also got to see some of the longstanding, fruitful cooperation between Shandong and Norway. 

Shandong province and Norway are similar in many ways: We have long coastlines and great traditions as sea-farers, and we have many prosperous ocean industries and knowledge institutions. We have a joint understanding that both the health and well-being of our inhabitants and our economies depend on sustainable management of natural resources and a healthy and sustainable ocean. Our discussions showed that both sides recognize the need for accelerating the greening of our economies – also after COVID-19. The Norwegian presence in the province reflects this compatibility, but I believe there is much room to expand the cooperation between Shandong and Norway even further. 

For Norway, Shandong is already one of the most important Chinese provinces, much because of the province’s maritime industries. The maritime sector is the backbone of Norway’s economy, with more than 70 % of all our export coming from this sector. Norway is one of the world’s leading maritime nations with excellent companies across sectors like shipping, seafood, offshore wind as well as oil and gas, and research and development of offshore technologies. The history of Norwegian presence in Shandong, and its current active companies, mirrors the important role of maritime industries in the Norwegian economy. 

Norwegian companies’ presence in Shandong go back a long time. Already in 1914, the classification society DNV GL opened an office in Qingdao, to better serve Norwegian ships abroad. Shipping has always been an important part of the Norwegian economy, and shipping was what first brought a large number of Norwegians to China during the end of the 19th century. 

Between China and Norway, there has been a long and beneficial relationship within marine research for almost 40 years. Back in 1984, the Norwegian government donated the R/V Bei Dou research vessel to the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute in Qingdao. Together with the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute spent more than 20 years researching and monitoring the sea around Shandong. 

Today, the research cooperation between Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute and Norwegian Institute of Marine Research focuses on how to ensure sustainable aquaculture, where both China and Norway have much to learn from each other. Norway and China are two of the world’s leading fishing and aquaculture nations, and we know that if we are to realise the Sustainable Development Goals we need to produce more sustainable food from the ocean. 

Norway and China have a longstanding partnership when it comes to seafood, and Shandong province is well recognised for its seafood industry. What many Chinese associate with Norway is high quality fish and other seafood. China was in 2019 the third largest export market for Norwegian seafood, with Atlantic salmon being the most popular type among Chinese consumers. Every year, important actors in the Norwegian seafood industry come together in Qingdao for the China Fisheries and Seafood Expo. Over the last couple of years, several Norwegian fisheries ministers have visited the Expo, and in the future, we see good opportunities to further enhance seafood trade and collaboration between our two countries through this important arena. 

Furthermore, Norwegian research and higher education institutions have over decades built up a strong relationship with leading academic institutions in Shandong. This has led to the agreement on establishment of a China-Norway Marine University Alliance, which aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fields of marine and fishery research and education. The decade 2021-2030 is declared the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, and both for Shandong and Norway, developing new solutions to secure healthy oceans are important.  

COVID-19 has been an unexpected challenge for both our countries, and a test for businesses and their crisis preparedness. During my recent visit to Shandong, I saw how well the companies Jotun and DNV GL, together with their Chinese partner companies, had responded to these challenging times. Furtermore, the support they received from local governments was important, and ensured that production could resume relatively quickly. The most important asset for the companies are without doubt their employees, and it was reassuring to see that the safety and wellbeing of staff members were always put high on the agenda. 
We need international cooperation, sustainability and innovation to bring the world forward after the COVID-19 crisis. Shandongs and Qingdaos focus on sustainable economic development is important.

There is a substantial potential for cooperation between Norway and Shandong. I am confident that further opportunities for cooperation can be identified, and I am looking forward to supporting such efforts going forward.