BEIJING: China and Finland have built a strong partnership over more than 75 years of diplomatic relations, with cooperation focused on science, technology and green development. As Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo arrives in Beijing, the visit highlights the continued growth of bilateral ties.
Platforms, such as the China-Finland Joint Committee Meeting on Scientific and Technological Cooperation and the China-Finland High-Tech Matchmaking Event, have played a key role in fostering new quality productive forces and addressing global challenges, including climate change and sustainable development.
Since the signing of the intergovernmental Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation in 1986, China and Finland have built a solid framework for innovation cooperation. Over the decades, this partnership has expanded from traditional scientific research to cutting-edge fields such as climate change, carbon neutrality, and technological innovation.
In 2017, the two countries established the China-Finland Committee for Innovative Business Cooperation, which has since become an important platform for promoting exchanges and collaboration between enterprises in innovation-driven sectors. Preparations are now underway for the committee’s sixth meeting, reflecting the continued momentum of bilateral cooperation.
At the institutional level, Finland has set up a series of innovation hubs in China, including the Beijing office of Tekes (now known as Business Finland), the FinChi Innovation Center in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang area, and the China-Finland Nano Innovation Center in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. Meanwhile, China has deepened its innovation cooperation with Finland through the FinChi Innovation Center in Zhongguancun, extending Beijing’s innovation ecosystem into Northern Europe.
A symbol of Finland’s vibrant startup ecosystem is the Slush conference, one of the world’s leading startup events. Zhongguancun, often described as Beijing’s innovation hub, plays a similar role in fostering entrepreneurship and technological breakthroughs. In 2015, with coordination from the FinChi Innovation Center, Slush was introduced to China, holding its first event at Zhongguancun Software Park and promoting exchanges between Chinese and Finnish innovators. Since then, Slush events have been held in Chinese cities including Shanghai, Chongqing and Chengdu, further strengthening high-tech cooperation. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
