- On the threshold of a new green economy

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg met with Prime Minister Wen Jiabao yesterday, where he initiated an agreement between Norway and China to meet the climate challenges and reduce emissions. In his speech at the Tsinghua University, the Norwegian Prime Minister also addressed the challenges of climate change. The Prime Minister opened a seminar called Nora's sisters in Beijing, a seminar on women's rights in China to day.

"Today, we stand on the threshold of a new, green economy, a truly new world order, which can rid the world of poverty and save the climate. China has the potential of attracting the lion’s share of this newly emerging trillion dollar market, which we today refer to as the Kyoto mechanisms, and the next generation of such." The Prime Minister said in his speech at Tsinghua University.

"You have a unique opportunity and mission. No generation before you has been in a similar situation. Not only will you be able to lift additional hundreds of millions out of poverty. So that all of China can be free from that scourge. But you may also save the global environment for future generation, by making technology leaps of unprecedented scale and scope." The Prime Minister said to the students.

Chinas development and politics, and the direction that this development takes, is going to affect the rest of the world profoundly. It is therefore important to establish dialog with China about the treat of climate change and about emission reductions.

"As China continues to reform, opens up to become a more prosperous, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and modernized country, Norway is privileged to be working with China at this exciting moment in history. We have much to gain from working with China, but we also believe that China will gain from working with us." Prime Minister Stoltenberg said.

 

 

During his visit in Bejing, Prime  Minister Stoltnberg also visited the Huaneng Power Plant which is Beijing largest power plant and supplies Beijing with 30% of its energy needs. Photo: Sigurdssøn/Scanpix. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg opened the seminar "Nora's sisters - The role of women in China today” in Beijing to day. The seminar is focusing on women’s situation in contemporary China, and women's rights.

The Research Center for Human Rights at Peking University Law School and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Beijing are hosting the seminar, which is one of several seminars initiated by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and his wife Mrs. Ingrid Schulerud at the opening of the seminar "Nora's sisters". Photo: Christoffer Liholt/UD

"Nora’s sisters have become Prime Minister of India, Prime Minister of Norway, Presidents of Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Chile. They include Vice Premier Wu Yi of China, and the first female Minister of Finance of Norway, Kristin Halvorsen. And yet, more than a century since Ibsen wrote A Doll’s House, and a dozen years after the Beijing conference, Nora’s sisters have not come far enough. All over the world, women are still disadvantaged in almost all aspects of life." Prime Minister Stoltenberg said in his opening speech.

"It is the countries that offer women the most equal opportunities that are most competitive and have the best economic performance. It is the countries that manage to overcome existing cultural impediments to such policies – be it in the North or in the South – that grow and prosper."