On June 8, 2007, Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in the Swedish capital of Stockholm for a state visit to Sweden.

 

At 21:00, local time, Hu Jintao's special plane landed at Arlanda Airport in Stockholm. President Hu and his wife Liu Yongqing were warmly welcomed by Prince of Sweden Carl Philip, Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and his wife and some other officials.

 

In a written statement issued upon his arrival at the airport, the Chinese leader said that the friendship between the two peoples goes back to ancient times. In recent years, China and Sweden have steadily enhanced mutual political trust, built strong trade and business ties, and expanded exchanges and cooperation in various fields.  "China values its relations with Sweden and will continue to work with Sweden to boost bilateral relations," he said.

 

President Hu said that during his visit, he will review with Swedish leaders progress made in the friendly cooperation between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic ties, summarizing successful experience, exploring new ways to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation and exchanging views on major international and regional issues of mutual concern.   "I am confident that this visit will enhance friendship, increase mutual trust, broaden common ground and strengthen cooperation between China and Sweden," he said.

 

State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan and other accompanying officials arrived in the same plane.

 

Chinese Ambassador to Sweden Lu Fengding and other staff of the embassy also greeted the Chinese delegation at the airport.

 

President Hu flew in from the northern German city of Rostock after attending the outreach session of the Group of Eight (G8) summit in Heiligendamm on the Baltic Sea coast.