(Yicai) Nov. 10 -- Norway aims to lift its annual seafood exports to China to CNY20 billion (USD3 billion) by 2035, according to Christian Chramer, chief executive officer of the Northern European country’s seafood association.

China’s imports of Norwegian seafood rose 15 percent to 158,230 tons in the first three quarters of the year from a year earlier, with the import value up 26 percent to CNY8.3 billion (USD1.2 billion), according to official customs figures.

In 2017, the Norwegian Seafood Council released the China 2025 Plan, setting a target of CNY10 billion in seafood exports to China by 2025. Disrupted by the pandemic and the Chinese yuan's appreciation against the Norwegian krone, seafood exports reached only 85 percent of the goal last year, but they are expected to hit the target this year.

The CNY20 billion export target calls for both ambition and solid market foundation, Chramer said at the Ninth China International Import Expo. For example, shipments of salmon, Norway’s top seafood export to China, have increased, but per capita salmon consumption in China is just 149 grams, relatively low compared with other major markets, leaving ample room for improvement.

Other Norwegian seafood exports have also gained traction in China, which is now the largest export destination for Norwegian cold-water prawns. Last year, Norway exported 8,392 tons of cold-water prawns to China, up 244 percent from 2024, with a total export value of NOK450 million (USD47.9 million).

On Oct. 29, China and Norway signed a bilateral protocol with inspection and quarantine requirements for wild-caught Norwegian seafood exported to China, paving the way for a wider range of Norwegian seafood items to enter the Chinese market.

The protocol will bring new crab varieties, more shellfish, and other wild Norwegian seafood to Chinese consumers, Chramer told Yicai. China is a major seafood importer, so any progress in the Chinese market boosts Norway’s seafood industry, he noted.

China is an important trading partner for Norway, and seafood is a key pillar of bilateral trade, Cecilie Myrseth, Norway’s minister of trade and industry, said at the CIIE. It is critical to deepen cooperation and ties across the seafood value chain to meet the evolving demands of Chinese consumers, he added.

Editor: Futura Costaglione