Xi, Swedish king exchange congratulations on anniversary of diplomatic ties

BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf on Friday exchanged congratulations on the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

In his message, Xi said that Sweden was among the first European countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 75 years ago, China-Sweden relations have remained generally stable, with continuous expansion and positive outcomes in bilateral cooperation in such fields as economy and trade, science and technology, education and people-to-people exchanges, he said.

Xi said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Sweden relations and stands ready to work with King Carl XVI Gustaf to take the anniversary as a new starting point to enhance political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation, increase people-to-people exchanges, and jointly support multilateralism and free trade, so as to deliver more benefits to the two peoples and make greater contributions to world peace and prosperity.

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties, King Carl XVI Gustaf expressed sincere wishes for the continuous deepening of Sweden-China close cooperation, saying he expects bilateral friendly relations to develop continuously. ■