Liberal leader Guri Melby tells Dagbladet that she believes that Norway can not negotiate a free trade agreement with China as a result of how the country has responded to the war in Ukraine – a war that she believes Norway and Europe contribute to financing.
– I believe that it must be irrelevant for Norway to continue its free trade negotiations with China now that they do not clearly distance themselves from Russia and President Vladimir Putin, Melby says to Dagbladet.
This is one of Melby’s main messages when she speaks for the party’s national board meeting on Friday. Negotiations on a free trade agreement with China started in 2008 and was resumed in 2017. The left came in government in 2018.
– The war in Ukraine has shown how dangerous it is to be dependent on trade with authoritarian regimes. We now see how difficult it is for Europe to free itself from gas trade with Russia, says Melby and continues:
– This makes it difficult to impose the sanctions that one wants to impose and results in Europe still contributing to the financing of Putin’s war in Ukraine.
The left-wing leader warns:
– The same situation can arise with China if Norway becomes more dependent on them. In this way, it can be difficult for Norway to distance itself from China if they do something that Norway wants to distance itself from.
sea view
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The government’s response
Melby says that the Liberal Party has tried to challenge the government on this, but that they have not yet received a clear answer. Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt (Labor Party) answered the following then Rasmus Hansson (MDG) asked if the government wanted to suspend free trade negotiations with China in the Storting.
– We do not want that. The purpose of a trade agreement with China will be to give Norwegian business and industry better conditions. We will also have new meeting places to discuss trade policy and workers’ rights with the Chinese authorities, Huitfeldt said.
Nine days later, Russia invaded Ukraine, which China has failed to condemn, but has not actively supported.
– I have been skeptical about concluding a free trade agreement with China for a long time, but after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, I think it is important that we put these negotiations in the drawer. There is a before and after 24 February, and that Norway concludes its free trade negotiations with China should be a consequence of that, says Melby.
The Liberal leader believes that not taking a clear distance from Russia is very problematic in itself.
– It should not be possible for Norway to enter into binding agreements with countries that do not clearly distance themselves from Russia. It does not hold that China refrains from actively supporting Russia.
