China's Ministry f Foreign Affairs (MFA) on April 28 said that it approved of a decision by Norway's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister not to meet exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama when he visits Norway from May 7 to May 9 at the invitation of civil groups in Oslo, in part to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his Nobel Peace Prize.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at the daily news briefing that "If you say that the Norwegian government previously viewed the Dalai Lama as a good friend, then I can tell you that this policy was wrong. We have noted the Norwegian government's recent new position." He added that Norway "ought to conscientiously deal with China's core concerns and take real steps to correct their mistakes to create beneficial conditions to improving and developing relations. If you say that they made a mistake in the past, and can now change it, that is worth encouragement and approval."

Norway's diplomatic relations with China have been frozen since 2010, when the Nobel Committee awarded the peace prize to Liu Xiaobo, a veteran of 1989 pro-democracy protests in Beijing.