Norwegian officials and industry leaders have expressed strong optimism about expanding maritime cooperation with China, focusing on sustainable shipping and green technologies. The remarks were made during the 2nd China-Norway Green Cooperation Seminar held in Oslo on Wednesday 4 June 2025 under the theme “Sailing Together to a Greener Future”.
The seminar was extensively covered in a feature published by CGTN, the state-controlled Chinese media outlet. The seminar gathered policymakers, executives, and experts from both countries, highlighting shared ambitions to tackle climate challenges through innovation in green shipping and ocean industries.
Even Tronstad Sagebakken, state secretary at Norway’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, noted that China is Norway’s largest trading partner in Asia and emphasized the importance of bilateral cooperation:
“If we are to solve the big challenges of our time and accelerate the green transition, we need to work together,” said Sagebakken, adding that Norway’s maritime climate targets align well with joint initiatives involving Chinese shipyards and service providers.
Knut Arild Hareide, CEO of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association, welcomed the collaboration, citing China’s leading role in advanced shipbuilding:
“Chinese shipyards are producing some of the world’s most advanced vessels today. Our members greatly value this collaboration,” he said.
Sidsel Norvik, director of Nor-Shipping, confirmed the increasing presence of Chinese companies at the global maritime trade fair and praised China’s role in areas such as carbon capture and hybrid propulsion.
Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria of DNV Maritime, and Brynjulv Standal of Kongsberg Maritime, both emphasized long-standing partnerships with Chinese counterparts and the mutual drive toward carbon-neutral shipping.
Earlier this year, China and Norway signed an MoU on sustainable ocean management. Chinese ambassador Hou Yue described the growing synergy between China’s technological manufacturing and Norway’s maritime expertise as a cornerstone of bilateral cooperation.
The full article was published by CGTN on 5 June 2025 and includes remarks from multiple Norwegian stakeholders, giving the feature an added level of official weight and signaling strong intent behind the green maritime partnership.
