Chinese small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should boost cooperation with Finnish science and hi-tech businesses, a Chinese commerce official told China Daily.

 

"Chinese SMEs enjoy great opportunities in hi-tech cooperation with their Finnish counterparts," said Li Guangyun, commerce counselor to Finland.

 

He said many SMEs in Finland - a country competitive in high technology, including in forest industries, energy, biology and environmental protection - own the leading know-how in their own fields.

 

Equipment for analyzing minerals that was invented by a small Finnish company, for example, was used on the US Mars Global Surveyor and the technology can be adapted to many other civilian industries, he said.

 

Li suggested Chinese firms acquire some of the technologies through mergers and acquisitions with Finnish companies as a number of these companies are being transferred from the founders to their children.

 

The country, with a population of about 5.25 million, is also regarded as one of the most innovative in the world and does not impose strict restrictions on technology exports to China, he said.

 

Friendly political ties have laid a solid foundation for the growth of bilateral economic and trade relationships, said Li, who was recently granted the Commander of the Order of the Lion by the Finnish president for his achievements in promoting Sino-Finnish economic relationships.

 

The two countries have enjoyed brisk growth in trade over the past several years. China has become Finland's largest trade partner in Asia, while Finland overtook Sweden to be the largest for China in North Europe.

 

Bilateral trade between the two counties is likely to hit US$10 billon this year, compared with US$8.1 billion last year, Li predicted.

 

China has a growing trade surplus with Finland that began several years ago, but Li noted that "the figures do not tell the whole story of trade".

 

(China Daily July 24, 2007)