China Daily said that China is Sweden's second-largest export market for environmental technology, namely renewable energy sources and sustainable urban planning services, and that Swedish companies are utilizing their clean-tech acumen to help drive eco-friendly growth in the world's second-largest economy.

"Swedish companies have long had some of the world's highest standards for production, labor law and transparency," Anita Jonsson, director of the Swedish Trade Council in Shanghai, told the state-controlled newspaper. "The world's first sustainability conference was held in Stockholm in 1972."

Anita Jonsson also heads an initiative called Swedish Sustainable Business (SSB) that trains Chinese suppliers of Swedish companies in environmentally friendly best practices.

"Every year, 1,500 Chinese suppliers to Swedish companies participating in the SSB program strengthen their competitiveness significantly," Jonsson said. "It opens doors for them both domestically and abroad."