China is willing to strengthen exchanges at all levels with Sweden, leverage complementary strengths, promote mutually beneficial cooperation and drive bilateral relations onto a sound, stable and sustainable track, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Stockholm.
During their meeting, Kristersson asked Wang to convey his best wishes to Chinese leaders. He said Sweden and China, as well as their peoples, enjoy a long history of friendly exchanges, adding that Sweden admires Chinese culture and its spirit of innovation, and appreciates China's remarkable development achievements.
Kristersson said the Swedish government adheres to the one-China policy and is willing to strengthen dialogue, broaden consensus and advance mutually beneficial and promising cooperation across various fields with China.
Sweden also supports Europe and China in strengthening dialogue and properly managing differences, Kristersson added.
Wang conveyed greetings from Chinese leaders to Kristersson and said exchanges between China and Sweden date back to the ancient Silk Road. Sweden was the first Western country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, demonstrating its independence and strategic vision while setting an example for the international community, he added.
China-Sweden relations have encountered some difficulties in recent years, Wang noted, stressing that it is particularly important for the two sides to strengthen dialogue, enhance mutual understanding and rebuild mutual trust, and it is even more crucial to maintain a correct perception of each other.
Wang said the Communist Party of China has led more than 1.4 billion Chinese people in eradicating absolute poverty, and the Party has maintained continuity and stability in domestic and foreign policies, providing the world with much-needed certainty.
A better-developed China will benefit the world and create new opportunities for all countries, including Sweden, he added, expressing his hope that Sweden will play a constructive role in promoting China-Europe relations.
During the visit, Wang also held talks with Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard and met with Jacob Wallenberg, chair of the board of Sweden-based Investor AB.
China willing to strengthen all-level exchanges with Sweden: FM
China's postal and express delivery industry is being revolutionized by advanced technologies such as smart warehousing, automated sorting, and unmanned delivery systems.
In Zhenning County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, local honey plums are currently in peak production and sales season. Express delivery companies have partnered with fruit growers, directly entering the orchards for sorting and packaging.
Utilizing drones and shuttles, these companies have created an integrated delivery system that combines picking and sorting with direct dispatch. This innovation addresses previous challenges, such as farmers transporting goods down steep mountains, excessive transfers, and significant product loss.
"Once the fruit is packed by farmers, drones first transport the plums to a collection point at the mountain's base, after which trucks take them to a sorting center for dispatch. This allows Zhenning honey plums picked and packaged the same day to be shipped out by drone, establishing a rapid fresh-fruit transport channel," said Lai Junnan, a drone specialist from a local logistics company.
To tackle inefficiencies like time-consuming sorting and delays from secondary redistribution, express delivery companies have deployed intelligent automated sorting vehicles, established dedicated shipping routes, and enhanced direct links to airports.
"The automated sorting vehicles operate on six shipping routes that send items directly to the corresponding airports for quick distribution. These direct routes have significantly reduced our sorting time compared to previous years -- we've cut it by more than half a day," said Liu Banglei, business director of a local logistics company.
Meanwhile, the introduction of unmanned vehicles has significantly reduced delivery times, especially in rural and remote areas.
"Our area used to be quite remote, and packages often arrived late. However, since we started using unmanned vehicles, delivery times have improved significantly. Now we can pick up our parcels by noon -- it's much faster than before," said Li Hongbao, a resident of Pingchuan Town, Linze County northwest China's Gansu Province.
Unmanned delivery vehicles are now deployed daily in over 200 cities to transport parcels, with drones handling nearly four million items each year. Many large sorting centers have fully automated operations, while smart warehouses utilize flying-ladder and pallet-moving robots for precise picking.
Once packaged, parcels enter an automated system for weighing, scanning, and bagging, completing the process in as little as 15 minutes. Electronic waybills have achieved full coverage, and over 95 percent of trunk-line vehicles are equipped with Beidou satellite navigation systems.
These advancements in information technology are enhancing efficiency, increasing successful delivery rates, and boosting user satisfaction each year.
Technology transforms China's delivery industry
