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Chinese president starts state visit to Denmark

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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.

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. [Ma Zhancheng/Xinhua]

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.

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 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.

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