Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang met with Finnish Ambassador to China Leena-Kaisa Mikkola in Beijing on December 16, 2021. The two sides spoke highly of the positive role played by science, technology and innovation (STI) cooperation in recent years in promoting the development of the China-Finland future-oriented new-type cooperative partnership, and reached extensive consensus on future cooperation.

Minister Wang Zhigang said that since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Xi Jinping has spoken twice with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and reached a series of consensuses on strengthening bilateral STI cooperation. The science and technology departments of the two sides have actively followed through on the consensus of the two presidents by holding inter-governmental joint committee meeting and STI ministers’ meeting, organizing sci-tech matchmaking events, and jointly funding R&D projects, and taken bilateral STI cooperation to a new level. Going forward, China is willing to continue to strengthen cooperation with Finland in areas of mutual interest such as carbon neutrality, climate change and health, and further leverage the leading role of the China-Finland sci-tech matchmaking events. Minister Wang wished Finnish athletes good performance in the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Ambassador Leena-Kaisa Mikkola echoed Minister Wang Zhigang’s views and suggestions, recognized the important role of China-Finland STI cooperation and praised the two countries’ science and technology cooperation as a model of bilateral cooperation. Ambassador Mikkola wished China success in hosting the Beijing Winter Olympics and Chinese athletes best results in the games.

Director-General Dai Gang and Deputy Director-General Zhao Jing of the Department of International Cooperation of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, Director Marko Tiesmäki of Business Finland China and Counsellor Mari Korhonen of the Finnish Embassy in China attended the meeting.