国内英语新闻:China, Finland mark 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations

BEIJING, May 25 (Xinhua) -- China and Finland here on Tuesday marked their 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties at an evening reception.

Addressing the reception, Wang Gang, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said the two countries had become "reliable partners of cooperation."

Finnish President Tarja Halonen echoed Wang, saying information and environmental concerns had become important areas of cooperation.

The president said she was leading a delegation of business people to China to build links between the two countries. She said she looked forward to a clean tech workshop slated for Wednesday.

Halonen arrived at Beijing Tuesday morning, kicking off her six-day visit to China. She will also visit Shanghai and attend the national pavilion day of Finland at the Shanghai World Expo.