China has been annoyed with Norway ever since the Dalai Lama got the Nobel Peace Prize, and relations plummeted again after the prize was given to Liu Xiaobo in 2010. Since then the relationship between the two nations has been described as 'dead'.
Now the Dalai Lama is visiting Norway again, and is being recieved by several of our politicians - though he will have no official reception by the government, out of fear of alienating China even further.
Cowardly, if you ask me.
However, even the very presence of the Dalai Lama is enough to anger China.
Sources in the Foreign Ministry have revealed to NRK, the state broadcaster, that there have been secret meetings between Norway and China for the last six months, where China has delivered between 10 and 14 demands, described as very tough demands, that Norway must submit to before diplomatic and political relations can start again.
One of the demands is that the Norwegian government must promise to never again give the Nobel peace prize to a Chinese person who openly criticise the Chinese government.
But the Norwegian government can't do that - committee for the Nobel peace prize is independent of the government, and can't be dictated. I understand this concept must be very difficult for the Chinese to understand.
So with this demand impossible to give in to, it seems Norway will continue to be the only Western country with no political relations with China.
NRK article translated by Google.
Now the Dalai Lama is visiting Norway again, and is being recieved by several of our politicians - though he will have no official reception by the government, out of fear of alienating China even further.
Cowardly, if you ask me.
However, even the very presence of the Dalai Lama is enough to anger China.
Sources in the Foreign Ministry have revealed to NRK, the state broadcaster, that there have been secret meetings between Norway and China for the last six months, where China has delivered between 10 and 14 demands, described as very tough demands, that Norway must submit to before diplomatic and political relations can start again.
One of the demands is that the Norwegian government must promise to never again give the Nobel peace prize to a Chinese person who openly criticise the Chinese government.
But the Norwegian government can't do that - committee for the Nobel peace prize is independent of the government, and can't be dictated. I understand this concept must be very difficult for the Chinese to understand.
So with this demand impossible to give in to, it seems Norway will continue to be the only Western country with no political relations with China.
NRK article translated by Google.
