Norway’s Leader Ratchets Up Warnings on Chinese Threats ( www.bloomberg.com ) Englisch

Norway’s prime minister signaled a hardening stance on China, pledging tighter cooperation with businesses on security risks linked to the Asian nation.

In his security policy statement to lawmakers in Oslo on Thursday, Jonas Gahr Store said China is the country “with the greatest capacity” for activity targeted at “undermining our interests and values.” While the premier highlighted the threats from neighboring Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he said Norwegians must pay more attention to risks when collaborating with China.

“Going forward, risk reduction will have to be part of our approach to China and Chinese actors,” Store said. “We want cooperation with China, in trade, climate, the green shift - to solve global problems. But it is not advisable in sensitive areas.”

The Norwegian government has so far struck a more cautious tone on China than many of its European counterparts, even as the country’s intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned about risks posed by China, including influence efforts focused on the Arctic.

Norway also harbors painful memories of China suspending ties with the Nordic nation for most of last decade after the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded human rights advocate Liu Xiaobo the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 for “his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.”

“We are now intensifying the dialogue with the business world, the knowledge sector and other social actors, about risks linked to cooperation with China and other countries,” Store said.