Finnish President Alexander Stubb marveled at China's rapid development during his recent state visit to the country.
At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Stubb visited China from Monday to Thursday.
During his trip, he visited the Forbidden City and experienced China's high-speed rail network firsthand.
"I'm always amazed about the development of China, because, of course, I have been to China -- Shanghai, Chengdu, and other places, always there is a next level when I come back," said Stubb.
Stubb took a high-speed train from Beijing to Shanghai on Wednesday, and shared his journey on social media. This made him the second Nordic leader to do so this year.
In addition to the train ride, Stubb explored the historic Forbidden City with his wife and engaged in discussions on education cooperation at Tsinghua University.
He has shared his insights and experiences throughout the visit through social media.
Finnish President Stubb marvels at China's rapid development
Visiting Finnish President Alexander Stubb expressed optimism for fruitful environmental cooperation with China during an interview in Beijing on Wednesday.
President Stubb emphasized the need for innovative climate solutions for both countries.
"Climate and environment is a key example of where this (innovation) needs to be done because we know that we are over stretching the capacity of the planet to sustain, for instance, CO2 emissions. So we need to have innovative ways of moving, of consuming energy, of consuming electricity. In Finland, we're very good on electricity, I think it's over 90 [percent], even 95 percent which is basically clean, so no CO2. There's nuclear, there's hydro, there are different diverse ways of producing electricity. Whereas on the heating side, I think all of us still have to work. So I think we're all in this boat together, and I'm sure that Finnish-Chinese cooperation in this field will be fruitful, that's why I had my minister of environment and climate here in China as well," he said.
Stubb arrived in Beijing on Monday for a four-day state visit to China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Finnish president highlights Finland-China cooperation potential in eco-friendly growth
