On April 26, 2023, a signed article titled “China: Injecting Certainty to an Uncertain Future” by Ambassador Hou Yue was published on Dagens Næringsliv, one of the newspapers with largest national circulation in Norway. Below is the full text of the article:

What will tomorrow bring? No one can come up with a definite answer. Uncertainty about the future seems to become the only certainty. We see globally that the development gap is widening, hot-spot issues happen frequently, geopolitical conflicts are intensifying, and the economic recovery is still sluggish. Over 800 million people are suffering from hunger, and 100 million people are displaced. As challenges arise, some countries feel perplexed, while a few others resort to decouple and break chains, and even seek to revive a "Cold War" in order to maintain their hegemony. Many Norwegian friends asked me, what does China plan to do?

From the 20th National Congress of the CPC to this year’s Two Sessions, China has provided an unequivocal answer: We will carry forward humanity’s common values of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, stay committed to pursuing high-quality development and high-level opening-up, comprehensively promote a Chinese path to modernization, and inject robust certainty to an uncertain future.

First, China will be an anchor for peaceful development. Ten years ago, President Xi Jinping proposed the vision to build a community with a shared future for mankind, emphasizing that people of all countries share well and woe, and should stand in solidarity. China has always advocated for a multipolar world and democratization of international relations, and opposed seeking hegemony from a position of strength. We believe that mutual respect and cooperation is the way forward to long-term development and shared prosperity. Through joint efforts, the Beijing dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Iran achieved significant results. The Belt and Road Initiative has created 420,000 jobs for countries along the route, lifting nearly 40 million people out of poverty. China's solutions  with focus on equality and openness will continue to provide more positive energy to world peace and stability.

Second, China will be a driving force for global economic recovery. China's connection with the world has never been as close as it is today: every minute, goods worth nearly 12 million USD are crossing between China and rest of the world; every hour, China's outbound direct investment amounts to around 16.3 million USD; every day, foreign investment of about 500 million USD flows into China. Last year, China's actual use of foreign capital exceeded 189 billion USD, an increase of nearly 50 billion compared with three years ago. We have set a target of GDP growth at about 5% for this year, and the IMF predicts a 5.2% growth, which will contribute to 30% of world economic growth. China will continue to expand its market access, enhance trade and investment facilitation, and steadily promote institutional opening-up. The number of items in the negative list for foreign investment access in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone have reduced dramatically from 190 in 2013 to 27 today. China's huge market with over 1.4 billion people, consumer group with middle income at 400 million, and complete production and supply chain will provide more opportunities for win-win cooperation to Norway and the rest of the world.

Third, China will be a growth pole for green and innovative development. Over the past decade, China's forest area has increased by over 7%, and energy consumption per unit of GDP has decreased by more than 26%. The production and sales of China’s new energy vehicles ranked first globally for six consecutive years. In 2022, China's renewable energy power generation was equivalent to a reduction of CO2 emissions by about 2.26 billion tons, and Chinese export of wind and photovoltaic products was equivalent to a reduction of CO2 emissions by about 573 million tons for other countries. Besides, China’s incremental connection of offshore wind power to the grid accounts for 80% of the global total. In 2022, China's total R&D investment was nearly 450 billion USD, and the patent applications again topped the world. China has also risen to 11th place in the Global Innovation Index. We are willing to deepen international cooperation and achieve green and innovative development with all parties.

Whether it is conflict, development bottlenecks, or climate change, the essence of these problems is that humanity faces global challenges that no single country can solve alone. Drawing ideological lines and stirring up block confrontations go against the tide of history. Building walls and barriers is neither practical nor feasible. Only by working together can we overcome difficulties. As the Norwegian proverb goes, "The sky behind the clouds is always blue." After overcoming obstacles, the blue sky of China's economy still shines brightly, and its development prospects are promising. China's certainty will continue to provide the world with confidence and vitality.

Walking on the streets in Oslo, the scent of spring is gradually approaching. As an old Chinese poem describes, "Knowing the face of the east wind by gentle breeze, spring brings forth countless blooms and colors with ease". We sincerely welcome our Norwegian friends to visit China, to feel the pulse of a vibrant Hong Kong, to experience the unique scenery of Xinjiang, to enjoy the sandy beaches and clear blue waters of Hainan, and to touch upon the history of Beijing. The vigorous spring in China has much to offer.