Europe and China will have to collaborate more closely on tackling global challenges as the United States retreats from the multilateral world order under President Donald Trump, according to a top Norwegian diplomat.
Advertisement
In an interview with the South China Morning Post earlier this month, Norwegian foreign vice-minister Andreas Kravik highlighted China’s strategic importance for both Oslo and Europe amid transatlantic uncertainties, while stressing that Europe must avoid dependencies on either Beijing or Washington.
Despite differences around certain issues such as human rights and the South China Sea, collaborating with China on fostering economic partnership and sustaining multilateralism was in Oslo’s self-interest, he said, while calling on Beijing to exercise its power in a more responsible way and help to rein in Russia.
“From our vantage point, it’s impossible to address any problems of a global nature without collaborating with China, given China’s size, sophistication and geopolitical footprint,” said Kravik, who wrapped up his first China visit earlier this month.
His trip to Beijing and Hong Kong coincided with China’s European charm offensive as Trump’s inward-looking policies strain transatlantic relations, with Beijing styling itself as an indispensable partner and an alternative to the US.
Advertisement
“Regardless of what the US is doing, we are adamant that we need to work with our Chinese counterparts in order to identify solutions and that’s something that we have been pursuing,” Kravik said, when commenting on Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the 2015 Paris climate accord for the second time.
