Parliament member hopes Finland can build a China-EU bridge

Sanna Lauslahti has fond memories of when her husband lived and worked in Shanghai and she visited him regularly, since she could not leave her job in Finland.

"I have so many beautiful memories from that time," said Lauslahti, who commented ahead of President Xi Jinping's arrival in Finland on Tuesday. She said she loved the atmosphere of Shanghai and almost everything about China.

When Lauslahti moved from business to politics and became a member of the Finnish Parliament in 2007, she was able to turn her passion for China into efforts to "bring China into the Finnish Parliament" by organizing a series of activities.

"Even this morning, we had Chinese lessons, and six of my colleagues attended," said Lauslahti, who heads a China-Finland friendship group in Parliament. "I aim to introduce China to those who have not visited the country."

In 1950, Finland was one of the earliest Western countries to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing.

Ahead of Xi's visit, Lauslahti said she was expecting China's president to deepen the two countries' relations and find new areas for cooperation between them.

Xi will meet with Maria Lohela, speaker of the Finnish Parliament, and Lauslahti will attend the meeting.

Lauslahti said education and health are two areas in which Finland could share its experience with China.

"Personalized medicine and healthcare are big things for Finnish people, and we have done a lot of work in this area," she said.

Lauslahti said Finland is also willing to work as a bridge builder between China and the European Union.

"I hope China and the EU can be useful partners and deepen their relationship in the future," she said.

Lauslahti said she met Xi during his visit to Finland nearly seven years ago, when he was vice-president.

"I remember him as a gentle, polite and warm person," said Lauslahti. "I possibly won't have the chance to talk with him this time, but I do hope China and Finland can have more deep, open and trustful relations in the future."

Regarding Xi's meeting with US President Donald Trump later this week, Lauslahti said the biggest global players should give impetus to the stimulation of the global economy and speed up its growth. "Climate change and global peace should also top their agenda," she said.

Zheng Jinqiang and Zhang Zhaoqing in Brussels contributed to this story.