Sister province since: May 18, 2006

Overview

Telemark is a traditional region in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional regions and former counties of Vestfold, Bukerus, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder.

Relations with Hubei

In May 2019, Vice Governor Zhao Haishan visited Telemark, where he had talks with the Vice Mayor Hans Edvard Askjer and visited local enterprises and farms. In addition, Vice Governor Zhao Haishan had a discussion with the heads of the Innovation Norway and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, and reached an agreement on strengthening cooperation in economy, trade, and seafood import.

From November 4 to 13 of the same year, a government delegation led by Vice Mayor Hans Edvard Askjer of Telemark, visited China. The delegation attended the 2nd China International Import Expo, the Promotion of China (Hubei) Pilot Free Trade Zone and the Signing of Procurement Agreement with Hubei Enterprises and the China-Nordic Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum. From November 7 to 13, the delegation visited Hubei Province to promote cooperation between Telemark and Hubei Province in the fields of education, culture, tourism, economy, and trade.

In 2020, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hubei Foreign Affairs Office, and Hubei Health Commission jointly organized video conferences where anti-pandemic experts were invited to share experiences of Covid-19 prevention and control with the heads and experts of medical institutions in Kuyavian-Pomeranian of Poland, New Aquitaine of France, and Telemark of Norway.

On June 11, 2021, Hubei and Telemark co-organized a video conference. At the conference, they discussed cooperation on sustainable tourism development with a focus on the world heritage site of UN and ski touring. The vice mayor of Telemark and the minister of Norway Ministry of Economy and Tourism, Chen Hanhua, Deputy Director-General of Hubei FAO and representatives from Shennongjia International Ski Resort exchanged views on the protection of world heritage and the promotion of winter sports.