Many global political figures have praised China International Import Expo (CIIE). The following is the full transcript of an interview with Jari Gustafsson, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland:

Jari Gustafsson said that China holds huge potential and has seen very rapid economic growth. China is one of the key economies in the world and draws global attention. For Finnish enterprises, everything in China is so promising. Against this backdrop, President Xi Jinping’s steadfast commitment to global free trade is very helpful. Undoubtedly, CIIE brings new momentum for foreign enterprises to truly start and operate their business in the Chinese market. Countries around the world are following more closely the market development of China. Finland has also noticed that this is a very important development opportunity for Finland. Finland has many new companies that want to expand into the Chinese market, and CIIE provides a very good platform to help these enterprises find Chinese purchasers and potential Chinese partners.

CIIE will deepen cooperation between Chinese and Finnish enterprises

2017 was a crucial year for the bilateral relationship between China and Finland. 2017 marked the 100th anniversary of Finland’s independence and was also a landmark for Sino-Finnish ties as well as people in both countries. The biggest highlights of 2017 were Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Finland and Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila’s visit to China. Besides, many government agencies and non-governmental representatives between the two countries also held mutual visits and exchanges. To continue this good bilateral relationship, CIIE will provide Finnish enterprises with a new platform for deepening and expanding their cooperation with Chinese partners.

CIIE will provide broader market space for Finnish products in China

Finland has many products that can be exported to China and serve China, presenting quite a competitive edge. Most of Finland’s economic mainstay industries have performed well in the Chinese market. Over the past few decades, Finland’s forestry, machinery, and information communication industries have become well-known in China. CIIE will provide other Finnish companies with a favorable platform for doing business in China. Many Finns are already familiar with how to do business with Chinese people, and vice-versa. Thus, this will further expand Finnish companies’ business scope in China.

CIIE will benefit Finnish SMEs

Finland has committed itself to participating in CIIE in the capacity of a national exhibition, Jari Gustafsson said. Finland has made full use of its various channels and resources in Finland and China to prepare for the national exhibition, and we hope that Finnish enterprises can cooperate with the government to capture the opportunity presented by this national exhibition. We have used various channels to actively contact Finnish enterprises, Jari Gustafsson said. Finnish enterprises have become widely aware of CIIE and the Finnish national exhibition through Finland’s commercial chambers in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, as well as Finland’s local institutions. Some Finnish information communication technology companies and tech enterprises, though very small-sized, have also accumulated rich experience in exhibitions. We hope that through the efforts of our

government agencies, including Business Finland, Finnish enterprises can better conduct business in the international market and be united. CIIE provides them with a great chance to find cooperation partners and also allows them to prepare products in advance, thus facilitating partner searches. Finland’s national exhibition will also provide an excellent platform to benefit these enterprises.