President Halonen visits China

The first day of President Tarja Halonen’s visit to China culminated in a traditional dinner at the Palace of the National People’s Congress in Beijing on Tuesday where the host, President Jiang Zemin took his guest to a dance accompanied by a military band.

Earlier, the presidents and their delegations conducted the official discussions reinstating the excellent Finnish-Chinese relations with dynamic growth in the economic sector. The Finnish delegation was briefed on the recent party congress decisions.

On Wednesday, President Halonen will be the first head of state to meet the new party leader Hu Jintao. She will also meet with National People’s Congress Chairman Li Peng and Premier Zhu Rongji. Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja and Minister of the Environment Jouni Backman are also in the delegation.