On Friday 30th November 2018, YAFA had the pleasure of organising a visit for Peking University students to the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Beijing, which one of Norway's biggest embassies among its more than a 100 diplomatic missions around the world. At the event, students had a chance to learn more about Norway from a political, cultural and educational point of view.
The students were warmly welcomed to the Norwegian Embassy by Ms. Vibeke Raustoel, Adviser on Science and Education, who hosted the event. Ms. Raustoel started by providing students with a brief introduction to Norway and laid out the program of the event which covered Norwegian foreign policy, Norwegian culture, Norway's political system, and the Norwegian educational system.
Norwegian Foreign Policy and Norway-China relations
For the first part of the event, Mr. Ola Breidal, Counsellor and Head of the Political Section, introduced students to the role of the Norwegian Embassy in Beijing, Norwegian foreign policy and Norway-China relations.
As one of the very first states to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 1949, the Kingdom of Norway has historically had good and stable relations with China. While the bilateral relation experienced a major setback in 2010 following the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision to award a prize to Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo. However, in 2016 the two countries normalised their diplomatic and political relations, focusing on mutual cooperation in common areas, particularly in areas such as climate, natural resources, and environmental protection.
Mr. Breidal highlighted the 2017 official visit of Prime Minister Erna Solberg to China and the 2018 state visit of Their Majesties King Harald and Queen Sonja for the first time in 25 years, as examples of the good state of the current bilateral relationship between the two countries.
Norwegian Culture
The second part of the event was delivered by Ms. Linda Hjelle, Cultural and Political Adviser, who introduced the students to Norwegian culture, from the well-known works of Edvard Grieg, Henrik Ibsen and Edvard Munch to more contemporary artists like Norwegian DJ and record producer Alan Walker; television producer, screenwriter and director Julie Andem; and Norwegian artist Bjarne Melgaard, all of whom are well-known in China.
Ms. Hjelle also highlighted the different roles of the embassy in supporting Norwegian culture in China. This includes supporting translation and publication of the artists work into Mandarin, media profiling through the embassy's social media channels and liaising with Chinese media; supporting music and film festivals that showcase Norwegian artists, and directly assisting Norwegian artists to come to China.
The embassy also works closely with Innovation Norway, the Norwegian Government's official trade representative abroad, which supports innovation and development of Norwegian enterprises and industry in China.
Political System of Norway and the Norwegian Welfare State
For the third part of the event, Ms. Ingrid Handelandhe, Trainee in the Political Section, introduced the political system of Norway, characterised by the separation of powers between the judiciary, the executive government, and parliament. Ms. Handelandhe also talked to students about the recent 2017 national elections, where 169 representatives from across the main 9 political parties where elected to the Norwegian parliament for a 4-year term, and also explained to students the complex (and at times confusing) system of political alliances in Norwegian politics.
Ms. Handelandhe also introduced students to Norwegian democracy and Norwegian elections at the local, regional and national level. She spoke about how citizens over the age of 18 can vote and choose to participate in Norwegian politics by becoming a party member, run for election, influence a party manifesto, petition to the government, and participate in political events, debates, or public demonstrations.
Ms. Handelandhe also talked about the Norwegian welfare state, and how Norway uses its large natural resources of oil and gas to support a comprehensive social security system that provides free education and healthcare to its citizens. Ms. Handelandhe also addressed the egalitarian nature of Norwegian society, where there is little difference between the rich and the poor in society, and how Norway strives to create an "equal rights and equal participation" environment where female participation in the work environment remains high. Finally, Ms. Handelandhe emphasised how the key to the success of the Norwegian model is the trust in the system placed by Norwegians, as citizens know they can rely on their welfare system and therefore are willing to pay more in taxes to keep the system working.
Norwegian Educational System and Student Exchange Opportunities
The final part of the event was delivered by Ms. Vibeke Raustoel, Adviser on Science and Education, who introduced students to the Norwegian educational system which is based on an equality approach to education and characterised by a flat hierarchy, which leads to Norway having one of the highest levels of workforce productivity and time efficiency.
Ms. Raustoel also addressed the ongoing opportunities for student exchange between Norway and China, and provided students with an introduction to the Norwegian educational system. Ms. Raustoel also mentioned that the main factors attracting international students to Norway are the peaceful nature of Norwegian society, Norway's beautiful natural landscapes and environment and the fact that Norway offers many English-taught courses.
Recent figures show that international students make up to 10% of the total student population of Norway with around 25,700 international students visiting Norway each year, of which 1,100 students come from China to study in one of Norway's 10 universities in the country.
Overall, students enjoyed a very informative session on Norway and many aspects of Norwegian society, from its culture and educational system to the dynamics of its national politics and welfare state. The event allowed the students to gain a first-hand understanding of the bilateral relationship between Norway and China and, with many students expressing their interest to either visit or study in Norway in the near future.
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