China ends diplomatic freeze with Norway after Nobel row

Norway and China announced Monday the resumption of diplomatic relations, six years after Beijing froze ties with Oslo over the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to a Chinese dissident. The announcement means talks can now resume on a free trade pact between mineral-rich Norway and China, the world''''s second-biggest economy.
Diplomatic relations - and the trade talks - were frozen after the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2010 to human rights activist Liu Xiaobo, imprisoned in his own country by authorities who consider him a "criminal." But during a surprise visit to Beijing by Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende on Monday, the two nations issued a joint declaration announcing they were unfreezing ties.