COPENHAGEN - Denmark hopes to show visitors to the World Expo in Shanghai new solutions to some of the environmental challenges the world faces today, a government official says.

Denmark also seeks to strengthen its cooperation with China in many areas, including environment, trade and culture, Brian Mikkelsen, the minister for economic and business affairs, told Xinhua in an interview Monday.

"We are showing people a modern Denmark. We are talking about fairy tales and the welfare society. So we are talking about environment. We're talking about new solutions for the challenges of this world," Mikkelsen said.

The theme of the Danish expo pavilion is "Welfairytales" meaning Denmark's welfare society combined with a dash of fairytale-like inspiration from author Hans Christian Andersen. Denmark has sent its beloved national treasure, "The Little Mermaid," on her first overseas journey to Shanghai.

"I think we can inspire people, when they visit the Danish pavilion. Chinese can see how we do it in Denmark, and we can get inspired by talking to the Chinese visitors in our pavilion. I think that would be a good common ground for the future relationship between China and Denmark, because it offers so many solutions for the future," Mikkelsen said.

The minister will travel to Shanghai to attend Denmark Day at the expo on June 29 with Danish Crown Prince Frederik.