In the first week of October, Minister Liu Jianchao of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, led a delegation to visit Iceland.
Meeting with Iceland’s Foreign Minister, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir on October 7, Liu said that, despite different national conditions, the two countries have similar historical experiences, and the two peoples have an indomitable spirit of struggle. The Chinese side has always upheld the principles of mutual respect and equality among all countries regardless of their size, actively developed China-Iceland relations, and regarded Iceland as a trustworthy good friend.
Liu’s reference to similar historical experiences and an indomitable spirit of struggle is significant and apposite. Having been under Danish colonial rule for centuries, during which the people suffered from dire poverty and mass emigration, an independence movement emerged from the 1850s onwards. Iceland finally won national independence in 1944.
Between 1958-61, 1972-73 and 1975-76, Iceland fought the so-called ‘cod wars’ against Britain, supported by West Germany, regarding the extension of its territorial waters and fishing rights in the North Atlantic, on which the country’s economy and diet were both heavily dependent. Iceland emerged victorious against British imperialism in all these disputes, a remarkable victory for a small country whose population (2023 figure) is just 375,000. Iceland’s victories also contributed to the democratisation of the international law of the sea and helped numerous countries of the Global South to enhance their sovereignty over their territorial waters and marine resources.
From 2009-2011, the Icelandic people waged the ‘pots and pans revolution’ in response to the devastating impact of the global financial crisis on their country, which was exacerbated by the pursuit of short-sighted neoliberal policies in the preceding years.
Turning to the environment, Liu went on to say that China tries to peak its carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, and is willing to deepen cooperation with the Icelandic side in climate change, green energy, sustainable development and other aspects.
Iceland is a world leader in geothermal energy and fighting the looming threat of climate catastrophe and promoting sustainable development was a main theme of Liu’s visit.
Gylfadóttir said that the Icelandic side attaches great importance to developing relations with China. Iceland is the first European country to sign a bilateral free trade agreement with China and the first Western European country to recognise China’s market economy status. Both countries have great cooperation potential in energy transition, climate change and other aspects. It is hoped that both sides will strengthen exchanges, share respective successful experiences, and help the international community better respond to global challenges.
The previous day, Liu met with Birgir Ármannsson, Speaker of Iceland’s Parliament, and had exchanges with members of parliament from different political parties, including the Independence Party, Left-Green Movement, Social Democratic Alliance, Pirate Party, and People’s Party. The present Icelandic government is a three-party coalition formed by the Independence Party, Progressive Party and Left-Green Movement.
China’s development, Liu said, will provide broad development space for China-Iceland cooperation and new opportunities for the growth of all countries. The Chinese side is willing to strengthen cooperation with the Icelandic side in economy, trade, geothermal, tourism, communication, and cooperation at local level. Iceland is a major country of clean energy. It is hoped that the two sides will strengthen cooperation in ecological civilisation construction and jointly make the Earth a place where people and nature can coexist in harmony and economy and environment can advance in parallel.
The members of Iceland’s parliament happily recalled their visits to China and the stories of exchanges with China. They spoke highly of the great development achievements the Chinese people have made under the leadership of the CPC. They expected to intensify mutual visits and exchanges and strengthen practical cooperation to benefit the two peoples. In recent years, extreme climate events have occurred frequently, posing severe challenges to human survival and development. The Icelandic side spoke highly of the Chinese side’s important contributions to global sustainable development and expressed the willingness to deepen cooperation with China in fields such as geothermal and climate change based on existing cooperation, benefit more developing countries and contribute to the protection of the Earth, the homeland for humanity.
The same day, Liu also met with Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, former President of Iceland and Chairman of the Arctic Circle. Describing Grímsson as a friend of China, Liu said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Iceland more than 50 years ago, the two sides have always carried out practical cooperation based on the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win results, becoming a model for win-win cooperation between countries with different social systems, histories, and cultures. He thanked the Icelandic side for supporting China’s participation in Arctic affairs and expressed the willingness to strengthen Arctic cooperation and coordination in international affairs, promote the improvement of global governance, as well as the healthy and stable development of China-Iceland relations.
Grímsson said: “I am willing to actively promote Iceland-China friendship and enhance the understanding of China among people of all walks of life in Iceland. China has huge development potential… Last month, I visited China to participate in the 2023 World Geothermal Congress in Beijing. Many standards of the global geothermal industry were released for the first time during the conference. The world today is facing severe challenges such as climate change. Energy transformation is the key to solving this problem. China can play a leading role in the world in this regard.”
On his way to Iceland, Liu made a stopover in Copenhagen Airport, where he met with Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen, Permanent Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
Liu said, this year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Denmark comprehensive strategic partnership. The two sides released a Green Joint Work Programme recently, injecting new impetus into the mutually beneficial cooperation between our two countries. We look forward to further strengthening exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in economy, trade, environmental protection, climate change, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges.
China, he added, will unswervingly promote high-level opening up to the outside world, constantly provide impetus for world economic recovery and growth, and provide mutually beneficial cooperation opportunities for investors from various countries, including Denmark. Trends such as deglobalisation, severing supply chains, and de-risking are not in line with the trend of the times. De-risking advocated by some in fact throws away opportunities and cooperation and will ultimately harm the world economy and the interests of all countries. Under the current situation, the international community should work together to promote world economic recovery and prosperity.
Jeppe said, the Green Joint Work Programme released by the two sides has built a new platform for further cooperation between the two countries. It is hoped that both sides will fully tap into the huge opportunities brought by green transformation and promote greater development of Denmark-China relations.
He added that Denmark opposes “decoupling” from China, but went on to disingenuously claim, quite possibly reflecting the pressures being brought to bear on relatively small European countries by US and EU imperialism, that “de-risking” is not aimed at China but aims to ensure the security of the supply chain.
He also said that China has made rapid progress in green energy and other fields and has already provided technologies and solutions for the world. China is an important force in the global response to climate change, he added.
The following articles were originally published on the website of the CPC International Department.
Liu Jianchao Meets with Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland
Reykjavík, October 7th—Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, met here today with Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland.
Liu said, China-Iceland relations have shown good momentum of continuous development. Despite different national conditions, the two countries have similar historical experiences and the two peoples have an indomitable spirit of struggle. The Chinese side has always upheld the principles of mutual respect and equality among all countries regardless of their size, actively developed China-Iceland relations, and regarded Iceland as a trustworthy good friend. It is hoped that the two sides will continue to strengthen cooperation in economy, trade, investment, environmental protection, tourism and other areas. China strives to peak its carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieves carbon neutrality before 2060, and is willing to deepen cooperation with the Icelandic side in climate change, green energy, sustainable development and other aspects. The Chinese side appreciates Iceland’s commitment to the right direction of free trade and economic globalization, and hopes that the two sides will expand cooperation at the Nordic sub-regional, European and global levels and jointly shoulder the responsibility of responding to global challenges.
Gylfadóttir said, Iceland is happy to see constantly expanded cooperation between Iceland and China now, with fruitful results yielded. The Icelandic side attaches great importance to developing relations with China. Iceland is the first European country to sign a bilateral free trade agreement with China and the first Western European country to recognize China’s market economy status. Thanks to the driving force of the free trade agreement, trade between Iceland and China has grown steadily in recent years, and China has been Iceland’s largest trading partner in Asia for many years. China is also one of Iceland’s main sources of tourists. And Chinese friends are welcome to invest in Iceland. Both countries have great cooperation potential in energy transition, climate change and other aspects. It is hoped that both sides will strengthen exchanges, share respective successful experiences, and help the international community better respond to global challenges. Iceland is an open country that supports the concepts of free trade and open cooperation. It is willing to work with the Chinese side to promote the construction of an open world economy.
Liu introduced the three major global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping and the basic characteristics of Chinese modernization, and hoped to work with Icelandic side to build a better world. Gylfadóttir said, the world is changing, the times are changing, and technology is changing. Regardless of different development stages, all countries need to realize and promote modernization. It is hoped that all countries will unite and cooperate to deal with the crisis and challenges together.
Liu Jianchao Meets with Birgir Ármannsson, Speaker of Parliament of Iceland
Reykjavík, October 6th—Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, met here today with Birgir Ármannsson, Speaker of Parliament of Iceland, and had exchanges with representatives of members of Iceland’s parliament from such political parties as Independence Party, Left-Green Movement, Social Democratic Alliance, Pirate Party, and People’s Party.
Liu said, this year is the first year for China to fully implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress. We will comprehensively implement the new development concept of innovative, coordinated, green, open, and shared development, strive to promote high-quality development, continuously enhance the vitality of development while deepening reforms, and promote the process of Chinese modernization. China’s development will provide broad development space for China-Iceland cooperation and new opportunities for the growth of all countries. The Chinese side is willing to strengthen cooperation with the Icelandic side in economy, trade, geothermal, tourism, communication and cooperation at local level. Iceland is a major country of clean energy. It is hoped that the two sides will strengthen cooperation in ecological civilization construction and jointly make the Earth a place where man and nature can coexist in harmony and economy and environment can advance in parallel.
Liu said, in the face of changes unseen in a century, President Xi Jinping proposed the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind and called on the international community to join hands in building a world with lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity, a world that is open, inclusive, clean and beautiful. President Xi Jinping also successively proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative. These initiatives have enriched the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and set out a pathway toward realizing this goal. Iceland supports globalization and free trade and has unique national traditions and culture. The Chinese side is willing to strengthen international coordination with the Icelandic side and contribute to world security, development and prosperity.
At present, China-Iceland relations maintain sound development momentum. It is hoped that both sides can properly handle differences, respect each other’s core interests, and continue to be a model of friendly coexistence between countries of different sizes and social systems. The CPC is willing to, together with all political parties of Iceland, exchange and learn experience in party building and state governance from each other, so as to promote mutual understanding and practical cooperation.
Ármannsson welcomed the Chinese delegation led by Liu Jianchao on behalf of Iceland’s parliament. He said, although Iceland and China are far apart and have different national conditions, the two sides’ cooperation has been fruitful. Iceland is proud to be the first European country to sign a bilateral free trade agreement with China. The legislatures of the two countries maintain close exchanges, continuously enhance mutual understanding, and promote the healthy and stable development of relations between our two countries. The Icelandic side attaches importance to China’s important role in the international community and is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with the Chinese side on international and multilateral affairs to inject more stability into this changing and turbulent world.
Representatives of members of Iceland’s parliament happily recalled their visits to China and the stories of exchanges with China. They spoke highly of the great development achievements the Chinese people made under the leadership of the CPC. They expected to intensify mutual visits and exchanges, and strengthen practical cooperation to benefit the two peoples. In recent years, extreme climate events have occurred frequently, posing severe challenges to human survival and development. The Icelandic side spoke highly of the Chinese side’s important contributions to global sustainable development, and expressed the willingness to deepen cooperation with China in fields such as geothermal and climate change based on existing cooperation, benefit more developing countries and contribute to the protection of the Earth, the homeland for mankind.
Liu also elaborated on China’s positions and views on issues including relations between major countries, climate change, global governance, South-South cooperation, the Ukraine crisis and other issues upon inquiry.
Liu Jianchao Meets with Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, Former President of Iceland and Chairman of Arctic Circle
Reykjavík, October 6th—Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, met here today with Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, former President of Iceland and Chairman of Arctic Circle.
Liu said, Mr. Grímsson is friendly to China and has actively contributed to the development of China-Iceland relations. The Chinese side highly appreciates it. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Iceland more than 50 years ago, the two sides have always carried out practical cooperation based on the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win results, becoming a model for win-win cooperation between countries with different social systems, histories and cultures. The Chinese side is willing to work with the Icelandic side to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, deepen exchanges and cooperation, enhance mutual understanding and trust, expand consensus, and promote cooperation in climate change, geothermal, scientific research, tourism and other fields. Liu thanked the Icelandic side for supporting China’s participation in Arctic affairs and expressed the willingness to strengthen Arctic cooperation and coordination in international affairs, promote the improvement of global governance, and promote the healthy and stable development of China-Iceland relations.
Grímsson said, the Icelandic side attaches great importance to developing relations with China. I am willing to actively promote Iceland-China friendship and enhance the understanding of China of all walks of life in Iceland. China has huge development potential. Iceland is willing to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with the Chinese side in economy, trade, investment, infrastructure and other areas. Last month, I visited China to participate in the 2023 World Geothermal Congress in Beijing. Many standards of the global geothermal industry were released for the first time during the conference. The world today is facing severe challenges such as climate change. Energy transformation is the key to solving this problem. China can play a leading role in the world in this regard. The Icelandic side is willing to leverage its own advantages to strengthen cooperation with the Chinese side in geothermal and other clean energy sources to achieve common development and set an example for the world. It is hoped that both sides will increase cooperation in Arctic affairs on platforms such as the Arctic Circle and exchange in-depth views on issues of common concern.
On the afternoon, Grímsson accompanied Liu to visit Hellisheiði Power Station. They were given a briefing on the development of carbon capture and carbon storage technology.
Liu Jianchao Meets with Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen, Permanent Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Denmark
Copenhagen, October 5th—Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, met here today with Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen, Permanent Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Denmark, during his transfer at the airport.
Liu said, this year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of China-Denmark comprehensive strategic partnership. The two sides jointly released a Green Joint Work Programme, injecting new connotation and impetus into the mutually beneficial cooperation between our two countries. We look forward to further strengthening exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in economy, trade, environmental protection, climate change, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges. And more Danish companies are welcome to invest and start business in China. China and Denmark share similar positions on promoting free trade and safeguarding multilateralism. We are willing to strengthen exchanges and communication with the Danish side to jointly promote the improvement of the global governance system.
Liu said, now China’s economy has been deeply integrated with the world economy. China’s economy is recovering and showing sound momentum, transforming from high-speed growth to high-quality development. It not only focuses on the growth of total economic volume, but also pays more attention to the improvement of quality and efficiency. China will unswervingly promote high-level opening up to the outside world, constantly provide impetus for world economic recovery and growth, and provide mutually beneficial cooperation opportunities for investors from various countries, including Denmark. Trends such as deglobalization, severing supply chains, and de-risking are not in line with the trend of the times. De-risking advocated by some in fact throws away opportunities and cooperation, and will ultimately harm the world economy and the interests of all countries. Under the current situation, the international community should work together to promote world economic recovery and prosperity.
Jeppe said, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark Lars Løkke Rasmussen paid a successful visit to China not long ago. And the Green Joint Work Programme jointly released by the two sides built a new platform for further cooperation between the two countries. It is hoped that both sides will fully tap into the huge opportunities brought by green transformation and promote greater development of Denmark-China relations. Currently, more than 500 Danish companies operate in China. China’s economic development has a bearing on the interests of Danish companies and global economic growth. Denmark opposes “decoupling” from China. “De-risking” is not aimed at China, but aims to ensure the security of the supply chain. Denmark supports multilateralism and economic globalization and is willing to closely communicate and coordinate with the Chinese side in international affairs to jointly safeguard the global free trade system. China has made rapid progress in green energy and other fields and has already provided technologies and solutions for the world. China is an important force in the global response to climate change. Both Denmark and China face some challenges in green transformation and have a good cooperation foundation. It is hoped that both sides will deepen exchanges and cooperation and jointly address global challenges such as climate change.
Both sides also exchanged in-depth views on the Ukraine crisis and other international and regional issues of common concern.
