A Finnish business leader on Tuesday underscored partnership and forward-looking development as key priorities in Finland-China trade cooperation, following a meeting in Beijing where enterprises from both countries sought to strengthen business ties.
Chinese and Finnish enterprises on Monday engaged in lively discussions on cooperation in innovation, green development and digitalization, and signed multiple commercial agreements during the sixth meeting of the China-Finland Committee for Innovative Business Cooperation, which was held in Beijing.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao attended and delivered remarks at the meeting's closing ceremony. After the meeting, Orpo and Wang held a dialogue with Finnish business representatives.
Orpo said that China is a vital trade partner and export market for Finland, and that Finnish enterprises attach great importance to the enormous potential of the Chinese market.
Both countries share a strong willingness to cooperate in areas such as green and low-carbon development, the circular economy, and industrial digitalization, he said, expressing hope that enterprises from both sides will translate their discussions into concrete cooperative projects.
Speaking to China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Beijing, Antti Salminen, president and CEO of Kemira, a Finnish company specializing in sustainable chemical solutions for water-intensive industries, said there is a collaborative spirit in the business ties between Finland and China.
"It's been a really good and interesting visit, and I think the main message from all the official delegates and speeches and meetings has been one of partnership and forward-looking development together. So, also that kind of collaborative spirit. And, of course, also a lot of commonality between Finland and China in terms of high focus on sustainability and kind of environmental matters. So, those are kind of the combining theme," said Salminen.
He also stressed that the size and innovation of the Chinese market increase its attractiveness to the global business community.
"China is a necessary part of our footprint today and in the future. You can't just ignore regardless of where you come from. You can't ignore the importance of China as being one of the kind of fastest-developing, biggest economies in the world. So, it has to be an important part of that. But not only for the reason of the size of the market, also for the reason of the innovation being driven in many domains in and from China," he said.
Salminen said he expects the Chinese market to keep expanding and play a growing role in global innovation.
"Significant investment tells that we are committed to this market. I think the Chinese market is, of course, a growing and big market very important, but also important in terms of kind of the innovativeness in many terms. We, Kemira, with our strong commitment to sustainable development and sustainable chemistry can be kind of a partnering with our Chinese customers to lead the world in terms of sustainability development," said Salminen.
Finnish business leader highlights China's growth, innovation in sustainable cooperation
