Special Report: President Hu attends outreach session of G8 Summit, visits Sweden

    STOCKHOLM, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao hailed the growth of China-Sweden ties while meeting with Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf on Saturday.

    Before the meeting, the Chinese president, who is here on a three-day state visit to Sweden, attended a welcoming ceremony by the king.

    Sweden was the first Western country to recognize the People's Republic of China, which was founded in 1949. The two countries forged diplomatic ties in 1950. "For the past 57 years, bilateral ties have seen a steady growth," Hu said.

    The political mutual trust has deepened with two-way trade scoring fruitful results, he noted.

    The Chinese government values its economic ties with Sweden and supports enterprises from both countries to enhance cooperation, he said.

    The Chinese leader also expressed appreciation of the contributions King Carl Gustaf and the Swedish royal family have made in promoting the China-Sweden friendly cooperative ties.

    King Carl Gustaf recalled his visit to China in 2006, describing the tour as "unforgettable."

    The king also pledged continued efforts by the royal family and himself to boost bilateral ties with China.