Interview with Mr. Fred Harald Nomme, Consul General of Royal Norwegian Consulate General in Shanghai

By Wang Yanbing

Norway, a country strives for uniqueness, is blessed with a vast land and beautiful scenery. Located in the skirt of Europe, this country has the rare combination of magnificent scenery and advanced technologies. As remarked by Mr. Fred Harald Nomme, Consul General of Royal Norwegian Consulate General in Shanghai, Norway's participation in Expo 2010 Shanghai is "a challenge". He hopes that Expo Shanghai will be a good opportunity for us to continue promoting the friendly cooperation between Norway and China. On the one hand, Norway will bring to China and the world its tradition and innovation; on the other hand, Norwegian people will be able to better appreciate Ancient Chinese culture and China's modern development, and to feel and witness the hospitality and friendliness of Chinese people.

To Continuously Enhance "Mutual Communication"

"As this is the first time that a world Expo is to be held in a developing country, we hope to take this opportunity to carry out more cooperation with China, which is a major reason for Norway's participation in Expo Shanghai." Mr. Nomme said. He told us that relationship between Norway and China can be traced back to a long time ago. The two countries have been witnessing a close cooperation in areas such as navigation and commerce. At present, business cooperation between Norwegian enterprises and their Chinese counterparts are flourishing, especially in such fields as navigation, fishery, natural resource management and environmental protection and so on.

In the meantime, in a global view of knowledge-based economy and a series of environmental challenges, our cooperation also extends to fields of education and technology. For instance, as early as in 2001, Shanghai and Oslo have signed a Treaty of Friendship, which lays stress upon mutual cooperation in environmental protection and culture. In addition, schools in both cities have signed relative agreements based on spirit of this treaty.

As Mr. Nomme sees it, "It is our common desire to carry out continuous communication, and Expo Shanghai would be a very good chance for our communication." In his opinion, Shanghai, the host city of World Expo 2010, is a vigorous international city, and the theme of this Expo is "Better City, Better Life". The combination of these two important elements has made this Expo very interesting and appealing for Norway, because Norway is also a country paying a lot of attention on the advancement of urbanized life. Despite the fact that Norway has only a small population of 4.5 million, and comparatively small-scaled cities, Norway is impressing the world by its modern and efficient dimensional transportation network. All of these facts have made the participation in this Expo centered on the urban improvement a challenge for Norway.

To Display "Natural Resource Management" to the Fullest Extent

Visitors from around the world can find in Norway the charming scenery, clear air, pure water and the long-cherished spirit of respecting traditions. In fact, they will quickly find out that Norway is a country very different from others. And it is the uniqueness that Norway has been striving for.

What will Norway bring to Shanghai and to the world in this World Expo stage then? According to Mr. Nomme, Norway's natural resource management will play a key role in the Norwegian pavilion.

Norway is characterized by its long and zigzagging coast line, and firths running deep to the inland areas. In Norway, chains of mountains, glacier, rich valleys, and deep channels altogether compose a harmonious and clean nature. It is fair to say that the symbiosis relationship between land and human beings has been shaping the wonderful country Norway, and similarly, Norwegian economy has been closely related with its abundant natural recourses. Because of this, Norway has been committed to the ongoing energy protection efforts amidst its urbanization process, including finding solutions for water and air protection and reducing the pollution by noise. A big picture of these efforts is to realize an optimal management of natural resources, which is also the major subject to be interpreted by Norway in the Shanghai World Expo.

To Join Hands in Exploring "Orientation for Urban Advancement"

Regarding Norway's participation in the "Best Urban Practice Area" which is a highlight of Expo Shanghai, Mr. Nomme introduced two possibilities they are currently considering. One is that Oslo takes part in it independently, and the other is to include other Norwegian cities in this project.

Norway's capital city Oslo is affinitive with water and nature. From Mr. Nomme, the journalist got to know that before 1980, Oslo's fast progress had had a bad effect on its surrounding firths and waters. Starting from 1980, the Oslo government has been taking systematical steps to treat the pollution and improve Oslo's environment, with a purpose to realize a structure of "Oslo between Green and Blue". The efforts have paid off. In 2003, Oslo was awarded the prize of "European City of Sustainable Development". It is true that Oslo has been on the road of sustainable development. And now, it is seeking a bright future of sustainable development based on the careful research of the capacity of the natural environment. If Oslo is going to exhibit itself in the "Best Urban Practice Area", it'll be exciting for visitors to see the new picture of "Oslo between Green and Blue".

Along with the sustainable development efforts, Norway has been attaching a lot of emphasis on the issue of global warming. In response to this issue, it has hosted activities for 2007 World Environment Day. In the Shanghai World Expo, Norway hopes to show itself to the world on the one hand and to discuss with and to learn from many other countries regarding the future of urban advancement and the construction of cities.

To Focus Together on "Cultural Heritage Preservation"

Mr. Nomme feels that a balance should be maintained between the cultural heritage preservation and modern development to enable the harmonious co-existence of rapid development of a city and its long tradition and history. He noted happily that he had found and felt this balance in Shanghai during his two years of working in Shanghai. The preparation of Expo Shanghai is a case in point. This approaching Expo pays much attention on protecting, preserving, and reusing historical architecture.

Although Mr. Nomme can't speak Chinese, he knows a lot about China's efforts in cultural heritage preservation. He believes that both Norway and China have been paying a lot of attention on this aspect. Both countries also have a lot in common in terms of their devotion to build modernized countries. The two cities Shanghai and Oslo are having the same desire for constant innovation.

"Holding a World Expo is a great opportunity because it is a time for you to fully display the charm of Chinese civilization and to show the world your latest achievement of developing as well." Mr. Nomme said. He is looking forward to witnessing the balance between the two kinds of wonderful civilizations in the Chinese Pavilion. He believes an optimal balance between the two is no wonder a perfect marriage between tradition and innovation.