When referring to Finland, auroras, ice lakes, Santa and saunas might be the first things that spring to most Chinese people's minds. The Scandinavian country, nearly 8,000 kilometers northwest of China, is getting closer to China, as ties between the two countries are greatly enhanced.

In an interview with CGTN at the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, Pasi Hellman, consul general of Finland in Shanghai, said that China-Finland relations will be stronger in the future since cooperation between the two countries has been carried out in various areas like trade, economy, technology and even winter sports.

Fruitful results achieved at CIIE

This year, many Finnish companies display products at the Finland Pavilion at the CIIE's National Exhibition. Some also had their own booths at the Business Exhibition to showcase products, technologies and services.

Hellman said that among these companies, some are newcomers while some had taken part in last year's CIIE. When talking about the reason why these Finnish companies are willing to return to the import-themed fair, Hellman said, "It's a sign that they (Finnish companies) have gained something. They have gotten something as result from the participation last year."

Statistics from Business Finland shows that around 100 Finnish companies participated in the first CIIE in 2018, and 20 different agreements were signed to the tune of several billion U.S. dollars.

Clean energy, technology and food are some major areas in which Finnish companies gained opportunities to cooperate with Chinese counterparts. For example, Finland-based 5G equipment maker Nokia have signed contracts with all three major telecommunication companies in China during the CIIE. The contracts together are worth 15.7 billion yuan (around 2.24 billion U.S. dollars).

"China is currently our biggest trade partner in Asia," Hellman said. He believes that CIIE can act as a catalyst for both countries to further deepen partnerships and expand cooperation.

Collaboration in winter sports to boost ties

As the 2022 Winter Olympics approaches, the winter sports market is expected to develop greatly in China, which also signals potential growth for Finland.

China has joined hand with Finland, the winter sports powerhouse to launch the China-Finland Year of Winter Sports 2019. The cooperation in winter sports can bring benefits for the two countries. The growing winter sports sector in China offers huge commercial opportunities to Finland, while Finland's rich experience in winter sports can help China prepare well for the upcoming Winter Olympics.

According to Hellman's introduction, many Chinese athletes are training in skiing, ice hockey and other winter sports in Finland, and Finnish coaches have also come to China to share their training methods and philosophy. Besides, Finland has also been helping China improve its winter sports facilities and infrastructure.

"Jingfen": Chinese people share similar characteristics with Finns

"Finnish Nightmares," a comic series released last year, has been trending on Chinese social media sites. Each comic strip is about the social challenges faced by a mild-mannered stick figure named Matti, who fears crowds and small talk. Matti's experience echoes millions of young Chinese who are socially awkward and find themselves getting easily embarrassed.

As it has become more popular online, the comic series even coined a new term "Jingfen," the abbreviation of "Spiritually Finnish" in Chinese, which refers to people who hate socializing, like Finns, and believe their private space is very important.

In Hellman's view, the comic's popularity in China could attribute to the similar characteristics shared by people in two countries. He also said that the similarity could play an important role in the two countries' cooperation. "Finnish people and Chinese people share similarities in terms of being quite pragmatic. Finns often prefer action to words. In China, your people are also very action-oriented. This probably helps collaboration," he said.