(27 August 2014)
Mr.MP, Björn Samuelsson, Chairman of Lidingo City council,
Mr. Deputy Director Du Jiang,
Ladies and gentlemen,
First of all, on be half of the Chinese Embassy to Sweden, I would like to express our warm welcome to Mr. Du Jiang, Deputy Director of China National Tourism Administration and his team. They came all the way from Beijing to Stockholm for the promotions.
My welcome also goes to the our Swedish friends from the local tourist sector. Thank you for coming to join us tonight.
Now you might ask: why China?
My answer is: China is a fascinating land with a lot to offer.
Nearly as large as Europe, China spans over 5 time zones.
From the sunny and sandy beaches on the Hainan island to the splendid snowy land in the North-east, from the eastern graceful water-side towns along the Yangtze River to the western wild Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, our unique and picturesque landscape is enchanting.
What's more, China boasts rich history and cultural relics with 40 sites enlisted as World Cultural Heritage, ranking the 3rd in the world. I believe that our Swedish friends would feel familiar if I mention the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and the Terra Cotta Warriors.
China's urbanization has sped up thanks to the reform and opening up over the past 3 decades and more.
During this period, the urban population has gone up from 25% to 42%. Among the 600 large-and-medium sized cities, around 140 are inhabited by over 1 million people. Enormous efforts are being made to build environmental friendly cities.
Therefore, it is my suggestion to our Swedish friends that, to go to China, there are at least 3 dimensions for your experience: to dip into the depth of its history and culture, to feel the vitality of the developing cities, and of course, to taste the fantastic Chinese cuisine. It will be a different enjoyment.
Recent years have seen an all-round growth of the China-Sweden relations, and cooperation in tourism has also witnessed dynamic progress.
Last year, over 50 thousand Swedish people visited China, comparing to 32 thousand Chinese people visiting Sweden. Here we see great potential.
Today's "China Night" offers a wonderful opportunity for us to exchange views and build even closer business ties.
Tourist visits and cultural exchanges serve as bridges for all of you to come and experience China, a country both old and young.
The Chinese Embassy will do its best to strengthen this bridge and facilitate our Swedish friends to travel to China and promote tourist exchanges and cooperation.
I wish you all a beautiful and fruitful evening.
I wish the "China Night" every success.