On January 13, starting early in the morning, Finnish Social Democratic Party chairman, Finance Minister Antti Rinne met happily with pandas and began his first visit to Sichuan. Visiting Nokia Chengdu R & D center and Finland cooperation ICON •cloud project, hearing about Chengdu’s Science City Development Plan, after a day of tight schedule, Lin told reporters that he was surprised about the power and efficiency of the development of Sichuan. When he returns home, he will encourage more people and businesses to come to China, to Sichuan and to see and feel the power of China's development.

　 Finland Lays Great Emphasis on the Driving Force of Development in Central and Western China

　 Reporter: why choose Sichuan province as the destination of your visit to China?

　 Rinne: because Sichuan is a typical as well as large province in the central and western China. Finland lays great emphasis on the driving force of development in central and western China. Finnish enterprises have many projects and investments in western China, including Sichuan province. At the same time, Finnish enterprises have many advantages concerning energy saving, environment protection and clean technologies. I hope we can take this opportunity and let more people know about our advanced technologies, combine our technologies with the driving force of development in Midwest China, thus to promote development between China and Finland.

　 Through more than a day's visit, I felt a strong impetus of development in Sichuan. Here is full of opportunities for foreign companies, including Finnish enterprises. At the same time, I also welcome Chinese enterprises to invest in Finland.

　 Look Forward to Finding More Integrating Points for Cooperation between Finland and China

　 Reporter: you have visited many Finnish enterprises and collaborative projects including Nokia Chengdu R & D center, so could you please give some comments?

　 Rinne: Nokia officially ended the mobile phone manufacturing business more than a year ago and what I see today is a new Nokia. Nokia now switches its focus to network construction services, 4G network as well as big data. I believe these areas will usher in new growth. I am very satisfied with the development of Nokia in Sichuan.

　 This afternoon I also visited the ICON • cloud, a project designed jointly by China and Finland, and I think it is marvelous. This project is a model of Sino-Finnish cooperation, which not only shows Finnish superiority in the design and technology, but also combines with China's experience in the field. I hope in the future we can find more opportunities for cooperation between China and Finland.

　 Reporter: what is your opinion about enhancing bilateral relationship?

　 Rinne: Cultural exchanges are very important parts of bilateral exchanges. This fall Finland Helsinki Festival will be held in Helsinki. As a guest of honor, China, together with Finland, will jointly hold an activity called "Focus on China”. At that time, there will be a large number of Chinese artists to visit Helsinki, conduct cultural exchanges and promote understanding between the two peoples.

　 When meeting with the leaders of Sichuan, I also suggested strengthening contacts between Finland and Sichuan. One way is to open direct flights from Finland to Chengdu, therefore to increase personnel exchanges. Meanwhile, Sichuan and Finland have their own characteristics in terms of tourism. For example, Finland is the home of Santa Claus; Rovaniemi in Finland has a Santa Claus Village with Santa Claus and elk. I believe it is a very attractive tourist spots for Chinese tourists.

　 In addition to the government delegation, I also brought a delegation of entrepreneurs from Finland. While I visited Sichuan, they were grouping with local authorities, exchanging ideas about water treatment, energy conservation and environmental protection, urban planning, tourism and so on. I believe that through this visit, the two sides can find more opportunities for cooperation.