China will seize the chance of the 55th anniversary of Sino-Finnish diplomatic ties to further the traditional friendship, said Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Wednesday in Hanoi.

At a meeting with Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, Wen said China takes Finland as a reliable friend in the European Union, and he expressed appreciation for the adherence by the Finnish government to the one-China policy.

Wen and Vanhanen are here to attend the fifth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit due to open on Friday. Wen is also on an official visit to Vietnam prior to the ASEM summit.

During the meeting with Vanhanen, Wen said that Sino-Finnish relations have witnessed a good momentum of development, and the two countries have made progress in political, economic, educational and scientific cooperation.

He noted the economic and trade relations have developed rapidly and bilateral trade is expected to hit 4 billion US dollars this year.

Vanhanen said more and more Finnish enterprises have invested in China, and that the Finnish government also welcomes Chinese enterprises to work in Finland.

He noted Finland attaches importance to the relations with China, and is willing to make joint efforts to find new ways for the reciprocal cooperation.

The two sides also exchanged views on the cooperation between Asia and Europe. Wen said that China will continue to work with Finland to push forward Asia-Europe cooperation within the ASEM framework to promote common prosperity.

After the meeting, Wen met with members of the local Chinese diplomatic corps, representatives from Chinese enterprises in Vietnam, and Chinese students, as well as Chinese participants at the Asia-Europe business forum.