By Qian Yanfeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-02-01 10:03

SHANGHAI: Finland sees energy conservation and environmental technology as the most promising area of cooperation with China, Finnish Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Vayrynen said yesterday.

"A better city has to be eco-friendly in order to provide better life for its people," he said.

Vayrynen is leading a Finnish delegation, comprising senior government officials and business leaders, on a tour of Shanghai and the neighboring province of Jiangsu.

China's 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10) has the environment and energy efficiency as its priority targets, and Finland has a lot to offer in this area, he said.

He cited waste-water treatment, solid waste disposal and construction of eco-friendly buildings as the key fields the two countries can work together in.

"It (the visit) provides excellent opportunities for Finnish companies and the Chinese business community to exchange ideas and establish new networks, as well as to strengthen already existing relations," he said at a press conference.

During his visit to the 2010 Shanghai World Expo site, Vayrynen said Finland will participate in the event. Finland's "self-built pavilion and full cultural program," will provide "an amazing experience in support of the Expo theme of Better City-Better Life."

"China is an attractive investment destination for Finnish companies," said Matti Niemela, head of Finpro Shanghai, a consulting organization that helps internationalize Finnish companies. "LCD, machinery, healthcare are some of the major business cooperation areas for the two countries, while the environment sector is definitely an emerging market."

Vayrynen said he would like to see more Chinese companies choose Finland as an investment destination because the country is a gateway both to Europe and Russia. "We are planning to have another daily flight from Helsinki to Shanghai, which will help boost economic ties between us."