China and Norway vowed to enhance exchanges and cooperation on human rights after the two nations concluded the 11th annual Roundtable on Human Rights and the Rule of Law on Friday.

Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Jieyi briefed the Norwegian representatives about human rights in China during the past 30 years, saying that the Chinese government would like to cooperate with other countries on human rights issues on an equal and mutual-respect basis.

Liu said the human rights roundtable has served as a platform for different civilizations to conduct dialogue, and has promoted mutual understanding and expanded the consensus between China and Norway since it was founded in 1997.

Raymond Johansen, State Secretary of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spoke highly of China's achievements on human rights, appreciating the open and frank spirit the two sides demonstrated in the roundtable.

The human rights roundtable benefited our two countries and also promoted bilateral relations, Johansen said, adding that the Norwegian government would like to work with China to push forward the roundtable for further cooperation.

The two-day roundtable gathered more than 60 representatives from supreme people's court, supreme people's procuratorate, Ministry of Justice, Lawyers Association, Workers Union, covering topics including protection of rights of workers, prisoners, minorities.

China and Norway started discussing human rights issues in an informal setting in 1993, and in 1997 the first formal Roundtable on Human Rights and the Rule of Law was held.

(Xinhua News Agency October 31, 2008)