Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said he does not believe in any boycott of the Beijing Olympics and the world should not mix athletics with politics.
"I'm a strong believer in not mixing athletics with politics. And therefore I think it is good if we follow through the Olympics. Politics should be talked about between politicians," he said in an interview with Chinese journalists at the prime minister's office in Stockholm.
"Since the decision was made to have the Olympics held in Beijing, we should follow through. For a lot of things such as human rights and Tibet, we need dialogue between politicians," he added.
"Beijing Olympics is a major event that should not be missed. So many people are looking forward to it. The Olympics, especially the summer Olympics, is always the number one thing for the world in getting together and competing in athletics," he said.
Reinfeldt said Swedish athletes are fully prepared and he wished the Beijing Olympics will be the kind of success it deserves to be.
Reinfeldt will begin his first official visit to China from April 12 to 15, becoming the first Swedish prime minister to visit China since 1996. The main topics on his agenda, he said, were climate change and sustainable development.
"I will have discussions with Chinese leaders on the threat of climate change and how to create a more sustainable society concerning the environment, social and cultural factors," Reinfeldt said.
Referring to Sino-Swedish relations, the 43-year-old prime minister said there is a great interest in Sweden concerning China because of the Chinese culture, the Chinese economy and China's important links to many international questions.
"I have always felt that we have had very good and sound dialogue between our two countries, even though we have different political systems," said Reinfeldt. "I see very healthy development (in relations) between our two countries."
A big business delegation will accompany the prime minister during the visit. Reinfeldt said China is a very important and rapidly growing market for Sweden and representatives from Swedish industries are looking for further investments in China.
Commenting on the economic development of China, Reinfeldt said China has maintained impressive economic growth in the last 20 years, but the wealth gap is also widening.
He said China would be the engine for the world economy for many decades to come if it can combine the economic growth with environmental protection, the sustainable cities and sustainable living.
During his stay in China, Reinfeldt will make a speech at the "Boao Forum for Asia" on the island province of Hainan, and will meet Chinese leaders.
Sweden will hold the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU) in the second half of 2009.
Source:Xinhua
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