Charge d’affaires Mr. Zhang Biao’s Remarks at The China Day Virtual Event for Swedish SMEs
Embassy of China in Sweden
2021/11/11

Young leaders of the business community,

Good morning! I’m very glad to be here and share the screen with you. I hope this event will bring you to more cooperation opportunities, and contribute to business cooperation between China and Sweden.

As was pointed out by President Xi Jinping, a market is vibrant because of its people, especially the entrepreneurs and their entrepreneurship. When we look at the world, we see the entrepreneurs making important contributions to the world’s development.

In a world that is experiencing changes unseen in a century and fighting a pandemic, the responsibilities and missions on you, the entrepreneurs, are also special. First, you need to be able to find, create and seize opportunities. You need to develop businesses amid the ever changing industries, technologies and international relations.

Second, it’s important that you promote cooperation, and build bridges between countries, so that countries are able to exchange with and draw strengthen from each other, which will create real benefits for the people.

Lastly, a true entrepreneur is able to rise above bias and prejudice, and shake off the shackles of ideologies. A true entrepreneur is appreciative of the diversity of cultures and development paths, and contribute to an objective understanding of other countries.

The importance of entrepreneurs in the relationship between China and Sweden, especially on the business front, cannot be overstated.

It was a search for opportunities that led the Gothenburg ship to China in 1739. The ship brought China’s tea and porcelain back to Sweden and Europe, and opened a new chapter of the two countries’ relations.

It is a commitment to cooperation that has led over 600 Swedish companies to China, and led 10,000 Swedish companies to business cooperation with China. Last year saw our bilateral trade, despite the pandemic, grow by almost one percent to USD 17.8 billion. This year’s first six months saw our bilateral trade exceeding USD 10 billion, up an amazing 23 %, with Sweden still at the surplus side.

It is the audacity to rise above that led Sweden to become the first Western country to build diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China, and the first country to sign a bilateral investment protection agreement with China, which laid a solid foundation for business cooperation.

Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, the country is advancing towards the second centenary goal of building a modern and strong socialist country. In this process, there will be more opportunities for Sweden and other countries.

China’s economy continues on a positive trajectory. It grew by 12.7% in the first half-year, and all major economic forecasters predict a relatively high growth rate for China’s economy. China is also set to become the world’s largest consumer as its market keeps expanding, which translates into an increasing need for high-quality goods and services from abroad. China will further open up its market, improve its business environment, shorten the negative list for foreign investment and offer better services for foreign investors.

The cooperation opportunities are here and now. I hope you, the young business leaders, will be audacious to seize the opportunities of China’s development. I also hope you will contribute to the friendly cooperation between China and Sweden, and be a part of the new chapter of mutually beneficial cooperation.

I wish the event a big success! Thank you all!