Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao and Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf
attended a ceremony in Goteborg Saturday for the return of a
replica of ship Gotheborg from China, and both leaders pledged to
work together to promote bilateral cooperation.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Hu said that he was pleased
to attend the ceremony and witness a historic occasion in
China-Sweden friendship.
Despite the great distance between China and Sweden, the people
of the two countries have had a long history of friendly
association with much mutual goodwill between them, said the
Chinese president, who arrived in Sweden on Friday for a state
visit.
In 1732, a merchant ship of Swedish East India Company sailed
for Guangzhou from the port city of Goteborg, inaugurating Sweden's
trade with China.
Over 270 years later, the replica of Gotheborg, which was built
last year, set sail on a voyage to China along the ancient maritime
Silk Road. The ship returned to Goteborg Harbor on Saturday.
"Sailing more than halfway around the world, the new Goteborg
has built a bridge of friendship linking our two peoples. It has
boosted our exchanges and cooperation in economic, trade and
cultural areas, thus successfully completing its noble mission of
enhancing Sweden's friendship with China," Hu said.
He said the China-Sweden relations now enjoy a strong momentum
for growth and that bilateral exchanges and cooperation have
expanded in the political field, in economy and trade, science and
technology, culture, education and environmental protection.
The Chinese government and people value their ties with Sweden
and friendship with the Swedish people and view the China-Sweden
relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, he said.
"We will continue to work with you to enhance mutual political
trust and expand pragmatic cooperation" to ensure that the
China-Sweden relations will grow continuously and that the two
peoples will remain good friends and trusted partners of all-around
cooperation for generations to come, the Chinese leader said.
"I am confident that with the fresh momentum created by the
voyage of the new Gotheborg and joint efforts of the two peoples,
the China-Sweden friendship will continue to flourish," he
said.
In his speech, the Swedish king said China has become Sweden's
most important trade partner in Asia and there are still many
opportunities for such cooperation.
President Hu, who is currently on a three-day state visit to
Sweden, arrived in Goteborg from Stockholm earlier in the day.
(Xinhua News Agency June 10, 2007)
