Stockholm - Accompanied in a horse-drawn carriage by Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf, Chinese President Hu Jintao rode to the Royal Palace in Stockholm on Saturday to start a two-day state visit. Soldiers lined a bridge in front of the Royal Palace which was adorned with Chinese and Swedish flags as Hu became the first Chinese head of state ever to visit the Nordic country.
On arrival at the palace, the two heads of state inspected a guard of honour before greeting the speaker of parliament, and 11 members of cabinet including Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, Deputy Prime Minister Maud Olofsson and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.
Queen Silvia and Mrs Hu rode together in a separate carriage.
The Swedish capital was at its finest with clear blue skies but musicians and guards sweltered in their uniforms.
Hu's visit has sparked some protests and calls that Swedish officials should raise human rights concerns in their talks with the president and his delegation.
In an op-ed piece in the Stockholm daily Dagens Nyheter 13 members of the Swedish Academy that awards the Nobel Literature Prize signed a petition calling for Hu to "seek the release of jailed writers and journalists" along with publishers and freedom of speech groups.
The petition also expressed concern over censorship in China and persecution of various religious groups.
Opposite the palace, some 40 members of the movement Falun Gong - banned in China - were meanwhile gathered and performe a meditative programme.
Dressed in yellow T-shirts with the Falun Gong logo, Lebanese-born Hassan and Mats Karlsson said they welcomed the visit by Hu and hoped he would allow Falun Gong and "stop the persecution".
Hu arrived Friday from Germany where he met with leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) at Heiligendamm.
The Chinese leader and the Swedish royals flew later to the west coast city of Gothenburg home to vehicle maker Volvo where they were to take part in ceremonies welcoming the three-masted ship Gotheborg back to its home port.
Last July, King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia took part in ceremonies in China when the vessel sailed into the port city of Guangzhou.
During its nine-month voyage, the vessel retraced the route from Sweden to China made by a merchant ship of the same name on three voyages from 1743 to 1745.
