Taiwan, Finland hold economic dialogue on tech development

Taipei, June 6 (CNA) Taiwan and Finland's eighth trade and economic dialogue on Thursday focused on technology development and the circular economy, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

In a statement Friday, the MOEA said Taiwan's Deputy Economics Minister Cynthia Kiang (江文若) and Petri Peltonen, Finland's under-secretary of state at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, discussed technology issues such as telecommunications, digital health care, satellites, renewable energy, and circular economy development.

The MOEA said Kiang shared her views about the economic outlook for Taiwan and the world and talked about Taiwan's resilience in global supply chains.

Kiang also emphasized the complementary nature of Finland's and Taiwan's economies, with Taipei good at information and communications development and Helsinki specialized in wireless communications with strong software research and development capabilities, the MOEA said.

Kiang urged the two sides to work with each other to seek opportunities in the global market, according to the MOEA.

Peltonen recognized the great potential in cooperation between Taiwan and Finland in information and communications development, saying Taipei is one of Helsinki's important partners in the field, the MOEA said.

In a world with global economic and trade uncertainties, Peltonen said a reliable partnership between Taiwan and Finland was critical to global supply chains, according to the the MOEA.

Kiang and Peltonen also attended the 12th Taiwan-Finland economic cooperation conference held the same day. At that forum, Kiang said the two sides should explore opportunities by building on each other's industrial advantages.

During her stay in Finland, Kiang also visited IQM Quantum Computers, a Finnish startup, the MOEA said.

Kiang expressed the hope for cooperation with IQM in quantum development at a time when Taiwan is pushing for quantum advances.

In addition, Kiang also visited Finland's telecom equipment giant Nokia for a better understanding of the latest developments in 5G/6G, internet infrastructure, and cybersecurity, the MOEA said.

According to the MOEA, Finland was the third largest trading partner of Taiwan in North Europe in 2024, with bilateral trade hitting US$514 million.

As of March, Finland's accumulated investments in Taiwan had totaled US$5.92 million and Taiwan's accumulated investments in Finland hit US$15.86 million, according to the MOEA.