Swede PM: Successful Beijing Olympics 'good for world'

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-04-14 23:17

BEIJING - Visiting Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt on Monday gave a speech at Beijing University, voicing his opposition to boycotting the Olympic Games and his belief in a successful Beijing Games.

"The Olympics is about sports, and also about international exchange," Reinfeldt said to an audience of nearly 100 students from the university.

"I don't believe that Sweden should opt for boycotting Olympic Games," Reinfeldt said.

"I believe that it's good for the world to have a very successful Olympics in Beijing, and I believe it was the right decision in 2001 to give the Olympics to China," Reinfeldt said.

"The Olympics is a good example of globalization. They bring the world together in competition, and also in personal meetings and interaction," Reinfeldt said.

During his one-hour speech, the Swedish Prime Minister also touched upon issues of climate changes, energy security and bilateral cooperation, saying his government would like to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields.

Sweden, as the first western nation to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 1950, has maintained sound relations since.

There are over 3,000 Chinese students and researchers at Swedish universities, more than 500 Swedish companies with operations in China, and every fourth day a new Swedish company sets up business in China, according to the Prime Minister.

"I hope we will be able to further strengthen the ties between our countries, in trade, exchange of knowledge, and in common endeavors such as fighting global warming," Reinfeldt said.

Climate change and global warming is one of the greatest challenges facing the world, and we need a new political approach towards it. We must show that economic growth can be combined with a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, said Reinfeldt.

"Sweden will play an important role in this process," he added.

Reinfeldt has just attended this year's annual meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) in China's Hainan Province, a platform for high-level interaction between leaders from Asia and the world. Besides, he also met with China's top leaders including President Hu Jintao, top legislator Wu Bangguo and his counterpart Wen Jiabao.