STOCKHOLM -- Bank of China on Thursday held a reception in Stockholm's city hall to celebrate the opening of Stockholm branch, its first one in the Nordic region.

Addressing the ceremony, Chinese ambassador to Sweden Lan Lijun said "It marks a new beginning for Bank of China to meet the growing demand and provide global services for both Chinese and Swedish in overseas business, travel and study."

Lan expressed his confidence in greater opportunities for Sino-Sweden economic cooperation in the future.

BOC's Beijing headquarters sent a high-level delegation to celebrate the establishment of the Stockholm branch.

Yue Yi, Vice Executive President of Beijing BOC, believed that the bank would make "a positive contribution to the economic and trade development, and financial cooperation between China and Sweden, as well as with other countries in the Nordic region."

Margareta Bjork, president of the city council of Stockholm, considered the opening of BOC's Stockholm branch as a symbol of Sweden's stable economy for investments.

"Your presence in our region is an important step towards even stronger relationships between our countries, but also an important step for Stockholm as the leading financial centre in northern Europe," said Bjork.

Bank of China, the most international and diverse bank in China, celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2012.