Sun Shutao, the mayor and deputy Party secretary of Jinan, received his Vantaa counterpart, Ritva Viljanen, at Shungeng Hillview Hotel on Nov 1.

Vantaa, where Helsinki Airport is located, is the fourth-largest city in Finland. It established sister city ties with Jinan in 2001 and since then the two cities have taken turns to held annual economic and trade fairs. A direct flight from Jinan to Helsinki will be launched in the first half of 2019.

Sun warmly welcomed the delegation from Vantaa and said that the two cities have had closer communications and deeper cooperation after establishing the friendly relationship in 2001. He said outstanding results had been achieved in the economy and society. Projects on trade and education had become models for similar projects.

"As the capital city of Shandong province, Jinan boasts great advantages in location, natural environment, resources and industries," Sun said. "We attach great importance to exchanges with Vantaa and hope we can have more communications and cooperation in industry and medical care."

Vantaa Mayor Ritva Viljanen agreed with Sun and expressed the hope that the Vantaa government will strengthen the contacts between the two cities and that the citizens of Jinan and Vantaa could benefit from the achievements of cooperation.

Sun Shutao, the mayor and deputy Party secretary of Jinan, receives his Vantaa counterpart, Ritva Viljanen, at Shungeng Hillview Hotel on Nov 1. [Photo/jinan.gov.cn]

The two mayors both look forward to having closer communications and deeper cooperation in the near future. [Photo/jinan.gov.cn]