On April 15, Guangzhou Mayor Sun Zhiyang met with Finnish Ambassador to China Leena-Kaisa Mikkola and her delegation. Sun welcomed Mikkola and her delegation and briefly introduced Guangzhou's recent economic and social development.

He pointed out that Guangzhou is an important city in China, an international trade center, a comprehensive international transportation hub, and a center for international exchanges, with a rich historical and cultural heritage, a wide range of industries, and an excellent environment for investment and entrepreneurship.

Since the establishment of friendly city relation between Guangzhou and Tampere, Finland, cooperation in technology, culture, tourism, and education has steadily increased.

He expressed his hope that under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, Guangzhou and Finland will make the most of their complementary advantages, expand cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, education, industry, technology, and cultural tourism, further expand people-to-people exchanges, deepen friendship, and jointly compose a new chapter of common development.

Mikkola said that the rich historical and cultural heritage as well as dynamic economic and social development of Guangzhou left a deep impression on her.

She stated that Finland and Guangzhou have a solid foundation for cooperation and strong prospects for collaboration. She expressed the hope that both sides can further deepen exchanges and cooperation in fields such as bio-energy, information communication, green construction, and cultural tourism.