Icelandic foreign minister visits China to advance trade

Iceland’s Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir visited a fisheries exhibition in Qingdao on Wednesday, leading a delegation of Icelandic fishing companies that do business in China, mbl.is reported. She is due to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi later this week.

The visit comes as Iceland and China mark 55 years of diplomatic relations. The last visit to China by an Icelandic foreign minister was in 2018, according to Iceland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Icelandic fish exports to China are growing, and the launch of direct flights between the countries by Air China could create further opportunities to export fresh fish to the Chinese market.

The ministry said the visit aims to facilitate trade and provide an opportunity to discuss bilateral and international issues with Chinese officials. Gunnarsdóttir said Iceland had opportunities in China not only for fish exports, but also for geothermal expertise and innovative solutions developed by Icelandic companies.

On Tuesday, she visited Chinese energy company SINOPEC with representatives of Icelandic energy company Arctic Green Energy. Icelandic company Carbon Recycling International has also developed projects in the Chinese market in recent years and sold technology that converts carbon dioxide into methanol.

At the exhibition, Gunnarsdóttir also met Norwegian Fisheries Minister Marianne Sivertsen Næss and Canadian Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson, who were in China for the same conference. She is scheduled to meet Qingdao officials and business representatives on Thursday before returning to Beijing for talks with Wang Yi. On Tuesday, she attended a reception at Iceland’s embassy in Beijing marking the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations and later met Icelandic companies and their partners at a reception in Qingdao.