Anniversary of Sino-Finnish Diplomatic Ties Marked in BeijingA reception was held Saturday evening in Beijing to mark the 50th anniversary of the forging of diplomatic ties between China and Finland.At the reception jointly held by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the Finnish Embassy to China, CPAFFC President Chen Haosu said that Finland was part of the first group of western countries to recognize the new China. He said that through concerted efforts, bilateral ties between China and Finland have maintained a smooth and stable development. In recent years, cooperation in all fields has been increased, high-level contacts have been conducted, and economic and trade cooperation has been expanded, he said, adding China is willing to work together with Finland to promote the relations up to a new high. Kalevi Hemila, minister of agriculture and forestry of Finland, said at the reception that during the past 50 years, cooperation between Finland and China has been successful. He said that both sides have learnt from each other. Finland has noticed China's increasingly important role in world market, and hopes that economic and trade cooperation between them will remain fruitful, he said. Finnish Ambassador to China Pasi Rutanen said for the past 50 years, Finland and China have gradually increased mutual understanding and respect for each other, and now they are important economic and trade partners. Rutanen said that he expected more cooperative results will be produced in future. |
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