On May 7, the famous Icelandic newspaper Morgunblaðið published an article by Ambassador He Rulong entitled "My Impression on Iceland".The full text is as follows:

On February 26, I arrived in Reykjavik as the newly-appointed Chinese ambassador to Iceland. The moment I set foot on the land of Iceland, I was overwhelmed by the weight of my responsibility amid a sense of excitement.

I visited Iceland in 2004, and was deeply impressed by its unique natural landscape and pioneering spirit. 18 years later, I come back here to have more findings. During the past two months, I called on the President of the Republic of Iceland, the Speaker of Parliament, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Finance and other senior officials to share my views on bilateral relations. I visited Icelandic-Chinese Trade Council, met with some business representatives, and listened to their expectations for bilateral practical cooperation. I visited the University of Iceland, and felt the enthusiasm for China-Iceland cultural exchanges. I also visited several Icelandic old friends of my Embassy and was touched by their sincere friendship towards China. Like so many Icelanders, I also enjoyed nature here. Together with my colleagues, I went for many outdoor explorations in my spare time. Within two months, I have experienced the challenges of reaching the Steinn of Mount Esjan, enjoyed the hot spring in the Reykjadalur, appreciated the views of Hvalfjörður, and experienced a perfect hiking in Heiðmörk. These have all been shared through my Twitter account.

Although our two countries are geographically far apart from each other and have so many differences, we have always maintained a sound and sustained relationship witnessing frequent official interactions. We adhere to the principles of mutual respect and seeking common ground while preserving differences, respect each other’s social system and development path, and make allowances for each other’s core interests and major concern. In 1971, Iceland cast a precious vote for restoring China’s legitimate seat in the United Nations. China immediately came to Iceland’s assistance when a natural disaster occurred in 1973 and when Iceland was hit by the financial crisis in 2008. During COVID-19, we supported each other to overcome difficulties, thus writing a new chapter of friendship. Our bilateral economic cooperation and trade have yielded fruitful results. Last year, our total trade in goods exceeded 800 million US dollars, which was 3,375 times of that at the beginning of our diplomatic relations in 1971. China has been Iceland’s largest trading partner in Asia 15 years in a row. The two countries have carried out in-depth cultural exchanges. In 1953, the Icelandic Chinese Cultural Society was founded, playing an important role in bilateral cultural exchanges. In 2005, Beijing Foreign Studies University started its major of Icelandic language. In 2008, the University of Iceland and Ningbo University jointly inaugurated the Northern Lights Confucius Institute to help the two peoples to learn each other’s language.

Iceland is faraway but beautiful in our minds. More than 10 million Chinese users of WeChat, a Twitter-like social media, have identified their locations as Iceland. Before the pandemic, China was the only country among Iceland’s top ten origins of foreign tourists who has no direct flight to Reykjavík. Although the pandemic has disrupted our frequent exchanges to a certain extent, the number of Chinese tourists to Iceland will definitely increase in a dramatic way after the pandemic. I am looking forward and actively committed to opening direct flight between our two countries. Both China and Iceland attach great importance to climate change and environmental protection. China values Icelandic advantages and capabilities in clean energy utilization. China-Iceland joint venture in the field of geothermal energy provides more than 80 million square meters of heating in China, accounting for about 30% of China’s market. We have also witnessed breakthrough in carbon recycle technology cooperation. I am convinced that as China embarks on a path of accelerated development of green and low-carbon  technology, clean energy will become a key area highlighting our cooperation.

Last month, China just concluded its National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. According to the latest data, China's GDP reached 114 trillion yuan or about 17.7 trillion US dollars in 2021, accounting for roughly 25% of global economic growth. China has more than 1.4 billion population with more than 400 million middle-incomers. China has remained the world’s second largest import market for 10 consecutive years, and stands as the first country to launch any import exposition in the world-- China International Import Expo. All these provide opportunities to countries around the world, Iceland included, for sharing development fruits.

Last year, China and Iceland celebrated the golden jubilee of our diplomatic ties, elevating our bilateral relations to a historic new high. As the Chinese ambassador to Iceland, I have full confidence in our relationship in the future. I am willing to fulfill my duties and push forward our bilateral relations by making extensive contacts with friends from all walks of life in Iceland, strengthening communication, promoting exchanges and cooperation in various fields. We count on the attention and support from all sectors of society of Iceland.