Denmark
Denmark was among the first Western countries that provided China government loans. In April 1982, the two sides concluded the first loan agreement. Up to 2003, the actually utilized government loans provided by Denmark to China summed up to US$570 million, which involved more than 100 projects covering wind power, urban water supply, waste water treatment, central heating, medical treatment and health, food processing, cement, casting, etc.
Denmark started its direct investment in China in 1982. Up to the end of 2003, there were a total of 267 business projects with Danish investment in China with contracted investment reaching US$1.41 billion and the capital actually utilized totaling approximately US$519 million, mainly involving medicines, navigation, diary products, smelting, nonferrous metals processing, chemical industry, marine machines, building materials, foods, environmental production and technical consultation in architecture and other fields.
The main Denmark based enterprises in China are Novozymes Bioengineering Co., Ltd., Maersk Navigation Co., Ltd. Danfoss Co., Ltd. and Danisco Co., Ltd.
Finland
The Chinese and Finnish economies are complementary to each other. Since the 1980s, the economic and trade relations between the two countries have developed rapidly and bilateral trade volume has increased by a big margin.
According to statistics of the Chinese Customs, the total trade volume between China and Finland in 2003 was US$3.46 billion.an increase of 29.8% from the previous year. China's export value was US$1670million and its import value was US$1788million, up by 45.1% and 18.2% respectively compared with the previous year.
At present, China's main exports to Fiesnland are textil and garments, cereals, oils and foodstuffs, light industrial products and mechanical equipment, and China's main imports from Finland are paper-making machines, generating sets, paper and paper board, composite fertilizer, wires and cables and telecommunication equipment. In November 2003,the 16th meeting of the Sino-Finnish Mixed Committee was held in Beijing.
By the end of 2003, loans granted by the Finnish Government to the Chinese side has totaled up to US$ 485 million in financing 83 Chinese projects. In 2003, Finland invested in 26 projects in China with a contractual value of US$ 68.18 million and an implemented value of more than US$ 32.39 million.
By now, a total of 181 investment projects were signed, with contracted investment worth US$610 million and the capital actually utilized totaling US$390 million. There are over 110 Sino-Finnish joint-ventures in China, among which the main ones are Valmet (Xian) Paper Machine Co. Ltd., Nokia (Beijing) Mobile Telecommunications Ltd., Kone Elevators Co. Ltd. in Jiangsu Province. In 1988, Finnish Airline opened the Helsinki-Beijing direct air route. In 2003 Finnair inaugurated another direct route from Helsinki to Shanghai.
Sweden
Sweden and China set up the Mixed Committee on Economic and Trade Cooperation at vice-ministerial level in 1979. Sweden adopted generalized preferential system (GPS) to China in 1980 and began to make direct investments in China and provide China Concessional loans in 1982.
Sweden lifted quota restrictions on porcelain in 1985, and textile products and clothes in 1991. In 1988, a direct air route between Beijing and Stockholm was opened and operated by Air China and SAS.
Since the 1990s, the economic and trade relations between the two sides have developed rapidly.
The trade volume surpassed US$ 1 billion in 1994. In 2003, the total trade volume between China and Sweden was US$4.2 billion, up 54.3% year on year. Of this, China's export value was US$1,450 million, an increase of 59.7% from the previous year, and its import value was US$2,720 million, up 51.6%.
China's main exports were garments, suitcases and bags, shoes, plastic products, textile fibers, coke, canned vegetables, toys, furniture, and telecommunication products.
Main imports from Sweden were telecommunication products, steel products, iron ore, precision instruments, building and mining machines. At present, China has become the largest trade partner of Sweden in Asia.
Sweden attaches importance to the exploration of Chinese market. Up to 2003, 575 investment projects were concluded, with contracted investment reaching US$1,635 million and the capital actually utilized totaling US$1.298 million. According to incomplete statistics,
Sweden has set up about 200 joint-ventures and solely owned companies in China, including Astra (Wu Xi) Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shougang Kanthal Corporation Ltd., Nanjing Ericsson Communication Co. Ltd., Beijing Nankou SKF Railway Bearing Co. Ltd. and IKEA furniture Co. Ltd., etc.
Cecilia Helland