STOCKHOLM - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was pushing hard for closer Sino-Swedish cooperation on sustainable development as he mentioned this several times during his two-day official visit to Sweden that ended Wednesday.

Sweden excels in modern manufacturing and high technologies, while China has taken sustainable development as a national strategy in its effort to accelerate economic structural adjustment and build an information-driven country, Wen told ministers attending an international forum on sustainable development on Wednesday before wrapping up his visit.

"We are ready to enhance exchanges and deepen cooperation with Sweden in these areas," he said.

The forum was held to mark the 40th anniversary of the United Nations Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.

"Economic greenization is an engine instead of a burden for growth," he said.

The Chinese premier praised Sweden and the other Nordic countries for " pioneering efforts on environment protection and sustainable development," saying they have made remarkable achievements in promoting a harmonious relationship between man and nature.

During his visit to Sweden, the first visit by a Chinese premier in nearly 30 years, bilateral cooperation on sustainable development was talked about on several occasions, including meetings with King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf and Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.

The two sides scored a breakthrough in this regard by setting a framework of enhancing strategic cooperation in this regard.

According to the framework, China and Sweden will establish a working group on environmental protection and energy conservation under the China-Sweden Economic and Trade Joint Commission, and try to cultivate new growth sectors by jointly building ecological areas within China's national development zones.

Wen said China-Sweden sustainable development cooperation can be viewed as a highlight of green cooperation between developing and developed nations.

Positive results have already been yielded in existing bilateral cooperative projects, such as dioxin emission reduction in paper mills, mercury pollution prevention and renewable energy, as well as the projects including China's Caofeidian industrial zone and Wuxi eco city in eastern China, Wen said.

According to the official website of Center for Environmental Technology at the Embassy of Sweden in Beijing, over 20 cooperative projects on sustainable development are running successfully in China.

Meanwhile, China also wants to strengthen innovation cooperation with Sweden for long-term benefit.

The Chinese side is preparing to set up a special loan program with a lending capacity of 1 billion euros (1.3 billion U.S. dollars) to support businesses engaged in scientific research and industrial cooperation in both China and Sweden, Wen told the press on Tuesday after the talks with Reinfeldt.

He said China will not forget the support and help from Sweden in sustainable development, adding "we are ready to work with Sweden to bring in an even brighter future for the mankind."

During his stay, Wen visited Swedish industrial hub Gothenburg and capital Stockholm, interacting with Swedish leaders, local officials, entrepreneurs and people from various sectors.