Chinese
Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has been visiting Iceland on the first stop of a
four-nation European tour. He was set to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel in
Germany on Sunday.
The Chinese
premier's visit to Iceland, ahead of visits to Germany, Poland and Sweden, was
largely focused on energy issues and the Arctic region.
Wen held
talks with Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson on Saturday, thanking his
host for backing Beijing's request for permanent observer status on the Arctic
Council.
Talks with
Icelandic Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir on Friday had resulted in
agreements to cooperate on energy and science projects in the region.
Currently,
China only has simple observer status on the eight-nation inter-governmental
forum, comprising Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and
the United States.
Geothermal
advances
As a
trained geologist, Wen also toured the Thingvellir national park, home to
popular tourist attractions the Gullfoss falls and the Geysir geyser.
While
visiting a geothermal plant, the premier voiced "strong support" for
efforts to tap geothermal energy back home in China.
A deal
already exists between Iceland's Orka Energy company and the Chinese firm
Sinopec, to develop geothermal energy in China.
Chinese
interest in Iceland came to light when Chinese property magnate Huang Nubo
tried to buy a large portion of land in the north of the country.
Suspicion
was voiced that the purchase might help China win a foothold in the region and
the deal was eventually blocked by the Icelandic government.
On Sunday,
Wen was set to attend the world's biggest trade fair, the Hanover Messe, with
Chancellor Angela Merkel. China is Germany's official partner at this year's
four-day fair to showcase industrial technology.
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