Q&A with Yang Erlin

Global Times reporter Li Xuanmin (GT) spoke to Yang Erlin (Yang), chairman of the Chinese Enterprise Association in Finland.

GT: How do you see China’s economic development in the past five years?

Yang: Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, China has unveiled two important national policies – the Belt and Road initiative and “the Chinese Dream,” which have further connected China with the outside world and promoted the domestic economy’s steady growth.

Another improvement has been the robust economic development, which led to an upgrade in domestic consumption while also contributing significantly to the global economy.

GT: What’s your view of the trade and economic ties between China and Finland?

Yang: Finland is one of the European countries that has benefited from China’s further opening-up in the last five years.

For example, the number of Chinese firms investing in Finnish high-tech sectors has increased rapidly since 2012. One of the prominent examples is Tencent’s acquisition of Finnish gaming firm Supercall in a deal worth $8.6 billion. Also, new-energy firm Kaidi, based in Wuhan, capital of Central China’s Hubei Province, set up a subsidy in Finland last year. The company is planning to invest about 1 billion yuan in the next three years to produce biomass fuels.

The rapid growth in the number of Chinese tourists traveling to Finland provides more evidence. Last year, Chinese tourists spent a total of 335 million euros ($393.8 million) in Finland, ranking second in terms of tourist spending.

GT: What are some Chinese products that are well-known in Finland?

Yang: There are a lot. Highend products including smartphones and electronic goods from domestic brands Huawei and Lenovo are becoming increasingly popular among Finnish people.