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China–Sweden relations

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China–Sweden relations
Map indicating locations of China and Sweden

China
Sweden
Chinese embassy in Stockholm, Sweden.

China–Sweden relations are the bilateral relations between China and the Kingdom of Sweden. Sweden was the first Western country to establish official diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, on 9 May 1950.[1][2]

History

Sweden's and China's ties goes back to the 17th century.[3] Sweden traded with China and this was recorded by Nils Matsson Kiöping. He visited southern China on the ship Götheborg in 1654 and wrote accounts of his journeys to China upon his return to Sweden.[3] The Swedish East India Company traded with China 1731-1813.

Sweden was the first Western country to establish official diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.[1][2] Diplomatic relations between the People's Republic and the Kingdom were formally established on 9 May 1950.[1] Sweden was the first Western country to found such relations with the newly established People's Republic and for this reason, chairman Mao Zedong decided to personally receive the Swedish ambassador, Torsten Hammarström, when presenting his letter of credentials[4] which was quite unusual, and a sign that China attached great importance to this diplomatic breakthrough.[5] Sweden has always supported the People's Republic of China's claim to China's seat in the United Nations.[2]

A modern replica of the ship Götheborg was constructed and departed from Göteborg, Sweden, in 2005. The ship reached Shanghai, China, in 2006. The ship was welcomed in Shanghai by King Carl XVI and Queen Silvia of Sweden who made an official visit to China that year.[2] The vessel returned to Göteborg on 9 June 2007, and was welcomed by the president of China, Hu Jintao, who visited Sweden mainly for this reason, and by the King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

The year 2010 marked the 60th anniversary of Chinese-Swedish diplomatic relations.[6][7] The celebrations drew attention in China, as Sweden had been the first Western country to establish diplomatic relations with the country. This resulted in the creation of the Nordic Confucius Institute in Sweden to further promote and develop Sino-Swedish relationships.

Bilateral relations

In 2006 the trade value between the two countries added up to 6.73 billion U.S. dollars. Sweden has become China's ninth-largest trading partner in the European Union and China has been Sweden's largest trade partner in Asia for four consecutive years.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "60th anniversary of China-Sweden diplomatic relations celebrated". Chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  2. ^ a b c d e "China-Sweden relations continue to strengthen". Chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  3. ^ a b "China-Sweden relations beyond 60 years - People's Daily Online". English.peopledaily.com.cn. 2010-05-27. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  4. ^ "H.M. Konungens tal vid Innovation Forum fredagen den 21 maj 2010" [H.M. King's speech at the Innovation Forum on Friday, May 21, 2010]. Kungahuset.se. 2010-05-21. Retrieved 2015-07-17.
  5. ^ "60 years of friendship" (PDF). Dragon News: member magazine for the Swedish Chambers of Commerce in Hong Kong and China (2). Beijing: Swedish Chamber of Commerce: 12. 2010.
  6. ^ [1][dead link‍]
  7. ^ "Swedish PM Hails 60 Years of Establishment of China-Sweden Diplomatic Relations". Se.china-embassy.org. 1950-05-09. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
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