[Overview] Oslo is the capital city of Norway and also the country's political, economic, and cultural center. Located in southeastern Norway, it is adjacent to the Oslo Fjord and backed by the Holmenkollen Hill, and has an area of 454 square kilometers and a population of about 670,000.
[Politics] The City of Oslo has a City Council and a City Government as its governing bodies. The City Council, the highest decision-making body of the city, has 59 members directly elected by the citizens for a four-year term. The City Council is chaired by the mayor who is the highest-ranking representative of the city, and is divided into five standing committees that meet on a monthly basis. The City Government is the executive body responsible for carrying out decisions made by the City Council, and is formed by the majority party of the City Council. The governing mayor is the head of the City Government, who is appointed by the majority party of the City Council and serves an indefinite term of office. There are up to seven vice mayors. Oslo is divided into 25 districts that are run by locally elected district councils. Each district council is composed of a dozen or dozens of members for a term of four years. The incumbent Mayor Marianne Borgen was reelected by the City Council in October 2019 and Governing Mayor Raymond Johansen was also reelected in October 2019.
[Economy] Oslo is the largest cargo port and industrial center of Norway. The port of Oslo spans 12.8 kilometers and boasts over 130 shipping companies. The city has a prominent position in the world's shipbuilding industry. Other major industries include fishery, information technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, electrical engineering, textiles, and machinery manufacturing. Its industrial output value accounts for about a quarter of the total of Norway. Oslo is also the transportation hub of Norway, with railways extending to all parts of the country, buses and ferries to Germany and Denmark, and passenger liners to the United Kingdom and the United States. Oslo International Airport offers flights to many major cities in Europe and the United States.
[Culture] Oslo is home to numerous cultural facilities including museums, art galleries, and convention centers. The most famous ancient buildings are the Akershus Fortress built in 1300 and the Oslo Cathedral built in 1697. The City Hall is where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded every year. The Norwegian Maritime Museum in Oslo houses all sorts of ships and other artifacts from navigators and explorers, testifying to the city's history as the country's maritime center.
[Relations with Beijing] Since 2000, high-level visits have been frequent and exchanges in various fields have also occurred frequently between the two cities. Bilateral ties have been strengthening steadily.
Culture: From 1998 to 2010, Beijing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries have been sending delegations annually to Oslo to participate in the Norway Cup, the world's largest youth football tournament. The two cities have also conducted exchanges in fields such as government employee management, cyberspace management, e-government, and social welfare.
Other Fields: Since the normalization of the relations between China and Norway in December 2016, Beijing and Oslo have advanced their cooperation in a broad range of areas such as smart city development, preparations for the Winter Olympics, youth winter sports, and other sports-themed events.
