Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun

Asked about China's views on relations with Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway and expectations for the Chinese Foreign Minister's upcoming visits to the four countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday that the four countries were among the first European countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and they have a long history of friendship with China. 

In recent years, China's relations with the four countries have developed steadily, with fruitful cooperation in areas such as green transition, trade and investment, and scientific and technological innovation, and China and the four countries also share broad consensus on upholding multilateralism and free trade and jointly addressing global challenges such as climate change, Guo said.

During the visit, Foreign Minister Wang Yi will hold talks with the foreign ministers of the four countries and have in-depth exchanges of views on bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues of common concern, the spokesperson said.

Guo noted that Denmark is China's comprehensive strategic partner in the Nordic region. This visit will be the first visit to Denmark by a Chinese foreign minister in 15 years and the first face-to-face meeting between the two countries' senior officials since the new Danish government took office. China looks forward to using this visit to consolidate mutual trust, expand cooperation, deepen friendship, and promote the China-Denmark comprehensive strategic partnership to a new stage.

Sweden is China's largest trading partner in the Nordic region. This visit will be the first visit to Sweden by a Chinese foreign minister in 22 years. China looks forward to strengthening communication with Sweden, deepening mutual trust, expanding cooperation, and consolidating the positive momentum of bilateral relations through the visit, the spokesperson said.

As China and Finland are future-oriented new-type cooperative partners, Guo said that in recent years, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Speaker Jussi Halla-aho, and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo have visited China successively. The two sides have maintained close high-level exchanges and achieved fruitful results in practical cooperation across various fields. China looks forward to using this visit to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and inject new momentum into the development of the China-Finland partnership.

Meanwhile, Norway was one of the first countries to recognize China's market economy status. In 2024, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store visited China on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Norway, effectively promoting the development of bilateral relations. China looks forward to using this visit to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, conduct in-depth exchanges on bilateral and multilateral issues such as green transition and global governance, and promote the sustained and steady development of China-Norway relations, Guo noted.

Global Times