State Secretary of Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Delivers Lecture at Peking University Law School
Date：2025-03-11
On March 3, 2025, Mr. Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, visited Peking University Law School (PKULS) and delivered a keynote lecture titled “Norway and the Law of the Sea.” He was accompanied by H.E. Mr. Vebjørn Dysvik, Ambassador of Norway to China, and Mr. Liu Bo, Minister-Counselor at the Department of European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.
Dean Guo Li, Vice Dean Dai Xin, Assistant Professors Zhang Kangle and Chen Xiaohang, Assistant Dean and Director of the External Affairs Office Li Yuanyuan, and over 70 faculty and students attended the event.
In his speech, State Secretary Kravik emphasized the critical role of international law—particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)—in addressing global challenges and managing maritime relations. He underscored the importance of the consistent application of international legal norms without double standards. He also discussed key issues including Arctic governance, noting the cooperation among Arctic states under UNCLOS and the Arctic Council, and the recent 2024 advisory opinion by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea linking climate change to obligations under UNCLOS.
During the Q&A session, PKULS faculty engaged with the speaker on topics such as green finance, the legal effect of advisory opinions, career advice for students interested in international law, Norway’s perspective on peace diplomacy and double standardsand Nordic regional cooperation on ocean governance.
The lecture provided valuable insights into Norway’s legal perspectives on global ocean issues and strengthened academic and cultural exchanges between China and Norway.
Translated by: Yin Shuaitong
Edited by: Yin Dongyong