Growth from China to South Karelia, Finland

This year City of Lappeenranta has started cooperation with Chinese city of Yixing. Yixing is situated in wealthy province of Jiangsu, which is about 2-hour drive from Shanghai. There are about 1,35 million inhabitants in Yixing which is advanced city in environmental technology.

In this month in Yixing will be organized Golden Autumn Trade Fair event, in connection with GES (Green Energy Showroom) Lappeenranta joint booth in Yixing Environmental Science and Technology Park will be opened. City of Yixing offers space for Lappeenranta's and companies' joint booth for two years. In the joint booth there are presented Four companies form GES network: Flowrox, Visedo, Axco-Motors, Easy China and city of Lappeenranta and Technical University of Lappeenranta (LUT). Representatives from Regional Council, City of Lappeenranta, LUT and companies are visiting Yixing in the opening of the joint booth.

The main objective of GES Lappeenranta booth is to strengthen and promote companies' businesses in China and raise visibility of Lappeenranta and LUT and interest as touristic and investment destination. Flowrox is focusing in China especially water treatment solutions and waste water treatment plants. Visedo and Axco-Motors aim to increase sales of electrical traffic solutions, for example electrical buses. Easy China helps companies and public organizations in China-Finland cooperation and supporting entering to Chinese market.

- It is possible to participate to GES Lappeenranta joint booth also later on, Terhi Jantunen from Wirma Lappeenranta says.

Strongly growing and developing China has become important player in international trade. Broad geographic dimensions, society that promotes business and growth seeking economic life and enormous potential of people because of these facts China is very interesting target market to focusfor companies getting internationalizated. Especially Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Jiangsu and coastal China are on the same level as OECD countries if measured in wealthy. China has set in latest 5 year plan, which was approved in March, objective to 6,5 % yearly economic growth. The objective of the plan is to for example turn China into innovation and high technology hub and purity of urban environment is one of the Kehy issues. China will for example decrease use of coal and seek new, purer Energy solutions and promote electrification of transport.

More information: Terhi Jantunen, Wirma Lappeenranta Ltd., terhi.jantunen@wirma.fi