Premier Li Keqiang met with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Jan 15.

The China-Finland relationship has long remained healthy and stable in development, Premier Li said, saying China is willing to work with Finland to achieve more cooperation and inject fresh impetus to their ties.

China and Finland have complementary advantages in economic and technological areas, with vast space for cooperation, the Premier said. China’s large market can provide many opportunities for the commercialization of Finnish technological innovation.

China vowed to enhance protection of intellectual property rights, which is in line with its need to transform growth mode and will facilitate learning from advanced technologies and ideas, the Premier said.

To achieve win-win results, China is willing to boost cooperation with Finland in goods, services and technologies, as well as in climate change, green development and clean energy.

He expressed China’s steadfast support for European integration, saying China always regards the European Union as a pillar for maintaining world stability and promoting free trade. He also said he expects the next China-EU leaders’ meeting to elevate bilateral cooperation to a higher level.

Finland will become the rotating chair of the EU in the second half of this year, the Premier said, adding that he hopes Finland can make positive contributions to China-EU ties and the EU’s unity and prosperity.

Niinisto said that whenever he comes to China, he can observe the country’s new achievements, which can bring new development opportunities for Finland and other countries.

China is growing to be a force for stability in the world, and Finland attaches great importance to bilateral relations and China’s huge market, said Niinisto, adding that the country is willing to strengthen cooperation of enterprises in the two countries, especially the medium and small enterprises, and deepen cooperation in climate change, technological innovation and clean energy, and secure the multilateral trading system.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi also attended the meeting.