China's development encourages closer Sino-Danish partnership

China's dynamic development helps deepen the Sino-Danish comprehensive strategic partnership and encourages closer bilateral cooperation, Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said Thursday in an interview with Xinhua, following a visit to China.

Thorning-Schmidt, who visited China from Sept. 10-13, said that she is encouraged by the direction and depth of the Sino-Danish relations, and feels these ties will deliver concrete outcomes in the years ahead.

"This was my first visit to China as Prime Minister. China is undergoing a dynamic development, which encourages increased dialogue and cooperation between Denmark and China in many fields," she said in the exclusive interview about her first official visit to China.

She pointed out that the biggest rewards lay in collaboration on "sustainable development and green energy, which is an important engine for growth" as well as sectors such as culture, tourism, and education.

During her trip, Thorning-Schmidt met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Tianjin, where she delivered a keynote speech at the Summer Davos Forum. She also met with China's Vice Premier Wang Qishan, who urged stronger economic cooperation with Denmark.

For her part, Thorning-Schmidt called for more collaboration in sectors where the two countries have joint strengths, for example, shipping and renewable energy, at different forums during her trip.

"We focus on several sectors in China, where we know that Danish companies are frontrunners and where there is particular potential for further cooperation to mutual benefit," Thorning-Schmidt said to Xinhua, when asked which sectors Denmark will focus on in future to boost bilateral economic ties.

"Food (industry) is a good example. Danish farmers produce high quality food in accordance with some of the strictest regulations in the world. Other sectors include climate and environment, urban planning, health and pharmaceuticals, and science and technology," she added.

Experts here say Denmark's competences in renewable energy technologies, such as biofuels and wind-turbine manufacture, in waste and waste-water management, food safety and elderly care technology, are especially relevant to the Chinese market.

In fact, China is focusing on measures to transform its economic development pattern so as to put it on the path to sustainable growth at a faster pace, under its ongoing 12th Five-Year Plan.

Denmark and China have enjoyed warm diplomatic ties for the past 62 years, and signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership covering political, economic, cultural and other affairs in 2008.

Recently, the two countries signed 17 inter-governmental agreements in areas such as investment, tariffs, energy, agriculture and culture, during the first-ever state visit to Denmark by Chinese President Hu Jintao, in June 2012.

Moreover, business deals worth 3.4 billion U.S. dollars were signed between Danish and Chinese companies during the presidential visit.

"My visit to China, as well as the successful state visit of President Hu Jintao to Denmark in June, underlined the strength of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between our two countries," Thorning-Schmidt said.

She noted that her government launched in May 2012 a growth-market strategy aimed exclusively at China, which comes in addition to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

"We have recently had no less than five high level visits between Denmark and China, and I have pledged to make regular visits to China in the future to continue strengthening our ties," Thorning-Schmidt said, underscoring the value placed on bilateral exchanges, a key component of the partnership.

According to the Danish Trade Ministry, China now ranks among Denmark's biggest markets outside the European Union, with Danish exports to China worth 15.1 billion Danish kroner (around 2.7 billion dollars) in 2011.

Moreover, the volume of bilateral trade between China and Denmark increased 18.3 percent in 2011, as compared to the previous year, to reach 9.26 billion dollars, official Chinese statistics show.