China's Xi seeks 'friendly' cooperation with Norway on green energy

Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit opens in Beijing·Reuters

BEIJING (Reuters) -China is willing to work with Norway to promote "friendly" cooperation including on green energy, President Xi Jinping told visiting Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere in Beijing on Monday.

Xi highlighted environmental protection, energy transition, shipping, agricultural and fishery products and electric vehicles as areas where the two countries could expand cooperation, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

Regarding the Ukraine crisis, Xi told Stoere that he hoped all parties would work to create "favourable" conditions for a political resolution through dialogue, CCTV reported.

"At present, the world's unprecedented changes are accelerating, testing whether the international community can make the right choice. China will continue to follow the path of peaceful development," Xi said according to CCTV.

The Norwegian prime minister said the two leaders discussed climate and sustainable development policies as well as business and human rights.

"What China is doing is of great importance for the green transition the world is going through," Stoere said in a statement.

(Reporting by Ryan Woo, Bernard Orr and Ethan Wang in Beijing, additional reporting by Terje Solsvik in Oslo; editing by Mark Heinrich and Christina Fincher)