Chinese president starts state visit to Denmark

Chinese President Hu Jintao (L, front) and his wife Liu Yongqing (C) are welcomed by Denmark's Queen Margrethe II (R, front) upon their arrival in Copenhagen, Denmark, June 14, 2012. Hu Jintao arrived here on Thursday for a state visit to Denmark. [Photo/Xinhua]

COPENHAGEN - Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in the Danish capital of Copenhagen Thursday for a state visit aimed at furthering the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the Nordic nation.

This is the first state visit to Denmark by a Chinese head of state since the two countries established diplomatic ties 62 years ago.

Chinese officials have described the trip as a "milestone" in the development of China-Denmark relations.

During his stay in Copenhagen, Hu will meet Queen Margrethe II and Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt on enlargement of all-round cooperation between the two countries.

As Denmark is holding the presidency of the European Union (EU) in the first half of this year, Hu will also exchange his views "in an in-depth way" with Danish leaders on the current international economic situation and the ongoing euro-zone crisis, said the Chinese officials.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (R, front) attends a welcoming ceremony held by Denmark's Queen Margrethe II (L, front) upon his arrival in Copenhagen, Denmark, June 14, 2012. Hu Jintao arrived here on Thursday for a state visit to Denmark. [Photo/Xinhua]

The two sides are expected to sign a host of cooperation documents on investment, tariffs, energy, environment protection, agriculture, education and culture, the officials said.

"I very much look forward to the historic visit of President Hu Jintao," Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said in a June 6 statement.

"China's role and relevance in the development of large parts of the world has grown rapidly in recent years. Both Denmark and China have much to gain by a closer relationship and I look forward to discussing how we can further strengthen the depth and breadth of our strategic partnership," she said.

In recent years, the China-Denmark relations have been steadily enhanced with greater political mutual trust and respect and expanded economic cooperation and trade.

In 2008, the two nations established a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Denmark now is China's third largest trading partner in the Nordic region. In 2011, two-way trade between the two countries stood at 9.2 billion U.S. dollars, increasing by 18 percent over the previous year.

In recent years, the two countries have strengthened cooperation in the fields of climate change, energy and the environment, research and innovation, and education.

Given Denmark's status as an important member of the European Union, the Chinese president's visit to the Nordic country would also promote the China-EU relations, analysts said.

Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Song Tao said Monday that Hu's visit to Denmark is expected to improve the bilateral political ties featuring mutual respect, equality and mutual trust, and to blueprint further development of the relationship.

"President Hu Jintao's visit, the first by a Chinese president since China and Denmark set up diplomatic ties, will open a new chapter in the development of bilateral relations," he said.

From Denmark, Hu will travel to Los Cabos, Mexico, for next week's summit of the Group of Twenty (G20), which will address pressing issues affecting the global economic growth and stability.

The Los Cabos summit convenes at a time when the global economy is facing great risks to growth and stability. The euro-zone debt crisis, slowdown in major developed nations and even in emerging economies, and high unemployment rates in parts of the world are posing threats to a fragile recovery.

Speaking at a press briefing Monday, Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai expressed the hope that the G20 summit would continue to promote economic growth and stability against the backdrop of the volatile world economic situation.