A SHENZHEN delegation headed by the city’s Party chief Wang Weizhong visited Finland between June 16 and 18 to seek exchanges and cooperation between Shenzhen and Finland, according to a report of the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily yesterday.

At a speech marking the inauguration of Shenzhen City of Design Promotion Meeting in Helsinki, capital of Finland, on June 17, Wang said the meeting was held to develop practical cooperation between the two sides in many fields and implement the achievements made by the state leaders during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Finland in 2017.

Shenzhen hopes to strengthen cooperation in economy and trade, technologies, education, medical care, smart city and tourism with Helsinki and other Finland cities, especially in the creative design sector, he said.

“The construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a national strategy, will bring great opportunities for Shenzhen and Finland to deepen cooperation,” Wang said.

At a meeting with Jan Vapaavuori, mayor of Helsinki, a friendly exchange city with Shenzhen, Wang said Shenzhen and Helsinki are both members of the UNESCO City of Design network, and hoped the two cities will play up their respective advantages and develop cooperation in industrial design, smart city, education, medical care, ecological protection, culture and tourism, to promote sustainable urban development and satisfy the need of residents for better life.

Wang also witnessed an MOU signing ceremony between Shenzhen AAC Technologies and Tampere, the third-largest city of Finland, which is 180 kilometers away from Helsinki.

At a meeting with Lauri Lyly, mayor of Tampere, Wang said Tampere is an important benchmark city for Shenzhen to learn from. He hoped the two sides will develop cooperation in technology research, startup incubation, venture investment, higher-learning education, culture and tourism.

After the meeting, Wang made a visit to AAC’s Tampere Optics Research and Development Center.

Finland is one of the world’s most northern countries and a member state of the European Union. It has a highly industrialized, largely free-market economy with per capita GDP almost as high as that of Austria and the Netherlands, and slightly above that of Germany and Belgium. Trade is important, with exports accounting for over one-third of its GDP in recent years.

Its capital and largest city is Helsinki, which was declared World Design Capital for 2012.

Shenzhen and Helsinki established a friendly exchange relationship in 2013.(Han Ximin)