Later that day, the delegation visited Alibaba Group, a Chinese internet giant based in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province. Under Lofven's leadership, nearly 50 renowned Swedish companies, including IKEA, H&M and Ericsson, have sought cooperation opportunities with Alibaba.

"Sweden is regarded as the most innovative country in the European Union while Hangzhou is known as the city of the mobile internet," said Lofven, who added that he hoped more Swedish brands can set up stores on Tmall, the online retail site owned by Alibaba.

"Sweden sees great opportunities in e-commerce and I hope Alibaba can play the role of a bridge connecting China and Sweden," Lofven said.

Jack Ma, chairman of Alibaba Group, told Lofven that the Chinese people are very familiar with Swedish brands such as BlueAir and IKEA. He said he believed there is huge potential for Swedish brands in the Chinese market.

One of the delegation members, Johan Aledal, co-founder of KaiMen store which sells Swedish goods on Tmall, said Alibaba opened the door for Swedish companies to connect with the world and he hoped that through KaiMen more medium-sized and small Swedish brands can enter the Chinese market.

Jack Ma, chairman of Hangzhou-based Alibaba Group, accompanies Stefan Lofven around the group's headquarters on June 28. [Photo/Chinanews.com]