ABSTRACT
The Sino-Norwegian relationship is in many ways a case that demonstrates in extremis some of the key traits characterising ties between China and the Nordic region. First, it effectively demonstrates the range of reciprocal benefits to be garnered from economic and cultural cooperation between the eastern and the north-western edges of the Eurasian continent. The economic relationship between Norway and China has seen considerable development since the late 1990s. The growth in bilateral trade has been spectacular, particularly after China's ascension to the World Trade Organization (WTO). In 2015, China became Norway's third most important source of imports, and the ninth-largest export market. As with the political relations the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize was also a defining event for the economic sector. Norway's foreign policy is traditionally firmly embedded within a broadly liberal institutionalist framework. This foreign policy tradition has also been a driver in the Norwegian engagement with China on human rights issues.
