Norway and China restore ties, 6 years after Nobel Prize dispute

"China and Norway said on Monday that they would normalize diplomatic relations, six years after the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to the imprisoned democracy advocate Liu Xiaobo opened a rift between the countries," reports Sewell Chan. "Neither nation explained the timing of the normalization of ties, but analysts said that Norway was hoping to revive talks on a trade deal." Xinhua News Agency published a "full text of a statement between China and Norway on normalization of bilateral relations," which said that “due to the Nobel Peace Prize award and events connected to the Prize, China-Norway relations have deteriorated," but that "the Norwegian side is fully conscious of the position and concerns of the Chinese side."