On May 28, 2026, Ambassador Zhou Limin met with Governor of Västra Götaland County Sten Tolgfors. The two sides exchanged views on practical cooperation and subnational exchanges between China and Sweden. Lord Mayor of Gothenburg Aslan Akbas attended the meeting.

Ambassador Zhou noted that the friendly exchanges between China and Sweden have a long history. More than 280 years ago, the voyage of the Ship Götheborg to China opened a Maritime Silk Road linking the two countries. Västra Götaland is Sweden’s most concentrated industrial region, while Gothenburg is the country’s most important industrial hub and one of the world’s major ports. Their cooperation with China has yielded fruitful results. China’s vast market and strong innovation capacity provide broad opportunities for the development of countries around the world. He expressed the hope that both sides would further tap the potential for cooperation, strengthen economic and trade ties and people-to-people exchanges, promote subnational cooperation, create more flagship projects, and achieve more mutually beneficial outcomes.

Governor Tolgfors welcomed Ambassador Zhou’s visit and provided a detailed overview of the development and future plans of Västra Götaland County and the City of Gothenburg. He stated that the county is willing to further strengthen friendly exchanges and promote cooperation in various fields.