EXPLORING OPPORTUNITIES: Participants attend a Sino-Finnish clean technology forum at the Finland Pavilion during the World Expo in Shanghai on October 15, 2010 (XINHUA)

Do you see any challenges in Sino-Finnish economic ties? If so, what are your suggestions?

On the one hand, Finnish clean technology and knowhow are still not well-known in China. On the other hand, environmental projects in China are often relatively big and comprehensive and Finnish companies are often small and specialized in niche technology.

We have, however, found a solution for this: Our strength is to make clusters of companies that are agile in developing and carrying out business solutions. They can jointly offer comprehensive solutions for Chinese customers. My ministry works closely with the Finnish Environmental Cluster for China, which is the first contact point for all Chinese actors interested in Finnish environmental companies and experts.

My ministry is also financing a national program called Cleantech Finland to make Finnish expertise better known in China and worldwide.

China and Finland signed clean technology deals worth 200 million euros ($263 million) in May 2010. Since both have established goals for greenhouse gas emission reduction, how would the two countries benefit from clean energy cooperation?

To reach the reduction goals, there is a need to improve energy efficiency in industrial processes, power production processes and buildings, and to deploy renewable energy sources in both countries. This provides an excellent opportunity for cooperation.

I must say that in both areas Finland can offer state-of-the-art technologies. One concrete example is the 12 agreements signed in Beijing in May 2010. Finland is also well known as a very innovative country. This applies to both environmental and clean technologies, too. Indeed, I would say that the two countries may benefit greatly from cooperation. There are really many excellent win-win possibilities.

As mentioned earlier, the MOUs provide an excellent platform to develop cooperation in the clean technology sector. For example, under the MOU with the NDRC we have a special program called "TOP-10" covering, among others, the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors.

Under the hi-tech MOU with MOFCOM signed in 2009, the Chinese innovation center—Golden Bridge—has recently started operations in Finland. I hereby encourage both Chinese and Finnish companies and institutions to make use of this excellent platform to, for example, jointly develop and transfer climate change-related technologies. In this connection, the famous Finnish innovation system also becomes available for Chinese companies and organizations officially registered in Finland. Golden Bridge also provides an excellent platform for enhancing joint businesses in third countries.

How do you view the setting up of a Green Climate Fund to administer assistance to poor nations at the 2010 UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun?

We regard the Cancun agreements—including the decision to establish a Green Climate Fund—as important concrete steps in the process of building the post-2012 climate regime.

The Green Climate Fund will potentially play a significant role in channeling funding to developing countries. We are pleased with the balanced representation of developed and developing countries in the board of the new fund and note that we now need to focus our efforts on operating this fund. Several important questions remain open regarding, for example, the possible funding sources.

(Reporting from Helsinki)