ScandAsia China - August 2017

AUG 2017

Marianne Andersen A Danish author in Hong Kong

BUSINESS

PEOPLE

COMMUNITY

EVENTS

Finland and Sweden enter bilateral agreement

Exchange student meets Danish China-lovers

Finnish summer party in Hong Kong

Swedish Education Minister visit

19th ANNUAL

LIVING IN BANGKOK 2017

A fres h ta k e o n Ban gko k.

A co m m u n i t y e ve n t f o r T h a i l a n d ’s exp a t r ia t e s t o e x p l o re t h e c i t y ’s ne w p o s si b i l i t i e s.

2 ScandAsia.China • August 2017

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2 1 st floor Conference Center, Bumrungrad Clinic Building Sukhumvit Road, S oi 3

Shuttle bus is available from Nana BTS station exit 1.

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AUG 20 17

Past events

HeForShe X Nordic Countries held Shanghai forum

‘2

017 HeForShe X Nordic Countries: Women Economic Empowerment Forum’ was, on 16 June, held at the Royal Danish Consulate General in Shanghai.

HeForShe is a UN Women’s Solidarity Movement for Gender Equality. The event was hosted by Hangzhou International Exchange & Service Center in cooperation with the Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish Consulate Generals in Shanghai.

The Finnish topic was Finnish women in political and economic decision-making. In addition to speakers form hosting consulates Ms.Vivian Jiang, Deputy CEO of Deloitte China, gave her insights on female entrepreneurship and leadership.

Mari

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BUSIN ESS

Finland and Swe enter bilat den eral agre ement

ish Chin

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ITY Finnish in Hongsummer party Kong

EVENTS

Swedish Minister Education visit

Your FREE ScandAsia Magazine in China

Source: Consulate General of Finland in Shanghai

Honorary FBCB membership to Finland’s China Ambassador

F

innish Business Council Beijing’s (FBCB) Board of Directors presented Ambassador Marja Rislakki the Certificate of Honorary Membership at FBCB (number 003) to recognize contribution and support Ambassador Rislakki and Beijing Embassy with her leadership has given to FBCB and it´s member companies.

“Thank you Ambassador Rislakki on behalf of Finnish Business Council Beijing and our member companies for close and fruitful co-operation during these years!”

Source: Finnish Business Council Beijing

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We Love Finland Festival held in Shanghai

O

n Sunday 11 June the Consulate General of Finland in Shanghai and Team Finland welcome ever yone welcomed guests to feel the Finnishness in the summer in Shanghai!

‘We Love Finland Festival’ took place in the heart of Jing’an, at Shanghai Centre, kicking off with the official opening ceremony at 1 pm.

During the day, We Love Finland Festival gathered a big crowd of both invited guests and passers-by.

The festival offered something for everyone and included a Finnish DJ who played a variety of awesome tunes. Other entertainment was an international choir singing Finnish classics.

And the most famous mascots of Finland, the Angry Birds and the Moomin, were of course there and guests could take pictures in an authentic Finnish sauna. Finnish companies showcased their knowhow, innovations and design.The latest Finnish lifestyle brands exhibited and there was a fashion show displaying Nordic trends.

Managing Editor: Joakim Persson Joakim@scandmedia.com Advertising : Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer : Peerapol Meesuwan Peerapol@scandmedia.com Distribution : Wanvisa Rattanaburi wanvisa@scandmedia.com

We Love Finland itself is a touring series of events reaching 12 cities around the world, from Shanghai to Oslo, celebrating the centenary year of Finnish independence, organized together by We Love Helsinki and Kyrö Distillery.

Source: Consulate General of Finland, Shanghai

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Daily news and features here: www.scandasia.com

Community

Chinese exchange student meets an unexpected interest for Chinese culture in Denmark

By Eva Eriksen

W

hen Chinese exchange student Ru Ge came to Denmark to study, he was surprised to find that several of his new Danish friends knew more about Chinese culture than he did.

One of his friends is so passionate about ancient Chinese culture that he prefers to go by the name Song Jian: a hero in the novel “Outlaws of Marsh”, which is one of the Dane’s favorite books. The 27-year old Danish student has studied Chinese for four years and is nearly fluent in the language. He has a special interest for ancient classical Chinese literature and uses terms that native Chinese don’t even use anymore; such as saying “haikou” instead of “haidao,” which means “pirate”.

Another student Troels Jeppesen has passionately practiced Shaolin Kung Fu for three years. He can explain into detail the different types of movements, from 18 Luohan Hands (Luohan means warrior monk) to Wuxingbafa, or Five Animals and Eight Methods (the Kung Fu moves that imitate animals). Jeppesen’s fascination for these warlike movements is the reason he decided to major in Chinese studies at Copenhagen University in Denmark.

“I almost feel ashamed that a foreigner knows so much about Shaolin martial arts, while a native Chinese like myself - born and brought up in the country - knows comparatively little about this important part of Chinese culture,” Ru Ge writes.

Read the whole stor y here: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/201708/02/c_136492713.htm

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4 ScandAsia.China • August 2017

Finland 100 Summer party held in Hong Kong

W

e love Finland – Finland 100 Summer par ty was attended 140 guests Scandinavian restaurant FINDS on 11 June. Guests enjoyed Finnish treats, beverages and music. Visual feeling was created with fresh flowers and a compilation of memorable moments of several Finnish black-and-white movies por traying summer scenes that was beamed to the backdrop of dance floor, reports Consulate General Of Finland, Hong Kong.

“The idea was to show a fun angle of Finland, to prove our country is 100 years young and to give a pre-taste of a summer party to encourage tourists from Hong Kong to experience ‘the real thing’ in summer-Finland”, said Consul General Jari Sinkari. The Consulate was the coordinator behind the event, consul Johanna Manni being the leader to organise it.

While winter has been the most popular period for Hongkongers to visit Finland, summer has gained traction recently. Team Finland and especially Visit Finland wants to strengthen this trend. Finnish summer is filled with festivals that cater to any taste: humorous, sporty, or high-brow cultural ones. Abundance of light surprises even the Finns themselves.

Comparing year 2016 to 2015 the number of tourists from Hong Kong has risen by 39 per cent. The year earlier the increase was 32 per cent. Early figures of 2017 indicate this trend to continue.

Community

Jaakko Sorsa the Executive Chef of the restaurant was in charge of the catering. His menu included forest mushrooms, smoked vendace and salmon.

Timo Santala the founder of the We Love Helsinki was the initiator of the “global” We Love Finland tour together with Kyrö Distillery.

The tour includes 12 different cities in Europe and Asia and is facilitated by and together the Finnish foreign ministry, embassies, consulates general and cultural institutes of Finland. Timo Santala himself functions as MC, DJ and VJ of the events. The music varies from old legends to the hottest list hits. Kyrö Distillery is a fresh young Finnish distillery from Iso-Kyrö, western coast of Finland. Its small batch Napue and Koskue rye gins have become international phenomena.

Napue Gin served with tonic water, rosemary and cranberries won the prize of best Gin for Gin & Tonic at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in London in 2015 and has since become the (unofficial) national drink of Finland.

Jouni Ritola the Co-founder and the Head of Sales at Kyrö Distillery witnessed the popularity of their concoction at the Hong Kong par ty.

Napue Gin was launched locally last autumn and thanks to the Brand Ambassador Steven Breerens can be found at many Hongkongese bars.

Photos by Annika Hiltunen Source: Consulate General Of Finland, Hong Kong

August 2017 • ScandAsia.China 5

Business

Finnish Vocational Qualification programme starts in Shanghai

J

yväskylä Educational Consor tium and EduCluster Finland on 20 June 2017 launched a Vocational Qualification programme together with Shanghai Commercial and Accounting School.

Students are studying to complete one module from Finnish Vocational Qualification in Business and Administration. The programme star ted with three-week intensive period in entrepreneurship training.

Jyväskylä Educational Consor tium got a license to offer Finnish vocational and professional qualifications devised specifically for the International market in December 2016.

The first agreement was concluded in Qatar, where the Consortium together with EduCluster Finland is providing 12 students with learning assistant training. They will complete the Further Qualification in Learning Support and Morning and Afternoon Club Activity Instruction at School.

Order of the Lion of Finland: Nokia China VP awarded Knight

P

resident of the Republic of Finland, Mr Sauli Niinist? has conferred on Ms. Ma Tao, Vice-President of Nokia China Region, the decoration of Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland.

The decoration has been awarded for Ma Tao for her extraordinar y contribution to the promotion of Finland’s image and the 6 ScandAsia.China • August 2017

development of economic relations between Finland and China. Ma Tao has been employed

by Nokia since 2007. In 2009, she became Nokia’s Director of Corporate Relations and in 2016 she was appointed Executive Vice President of the joint venture Nokia Shanghai Bell.

Ma Tao has played an important role in raising Nokia as the largest foreign telecom operator

in China.. Ms. Ma Tao received the decoration from Ambassador Marja Rislakki at the award ceremony held in the ambassadorís residence in Beijing on 12 July.

Source: Embassy of Finland, Beijing

Finland and Sweden entered bilateral deal in Hong Kong

Business

“H

ong Kong por trays itself as a superconnector,” stated Consulate General of Finland in Hong Kong and Macao. “It rang true on 18 May as Finland and Sweden toasted for a bilateral deal, several thousands of miles away from their Nordic home front.”

Minna Nyman (right in the photo with flags) of the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency and Jarmo Vinkvist (left) of Suomen Virveverkko Ltd signed a bilateral cross-network communication contract, witnessed by CG Jari Sinkari.

The ceremony took place at Critical Communications World Expo in which Finland had a large national pavilion of 14 exhibitors.

The agreement will bring about technical steps that later allow (rescue) authorities to use their own communications terminals in another country. Sweden and Norway already have their systems operable, and future will probably see these three countries to form the world’s largest interoperable TETRA-based communications area for emergency services.

The Finnish Pavilion was opened on May 16

by Mr. Janne Koivukoski of Ministry of the Interior of Finland (right in the other photo).

Source: Consulate General of Finland in Hong Kong and Macao

Kemira opened new sizing production line in Nanjing, China

K

emira, a global chemicals company that ser ves customer s in water-intensive industries, on 12 June announced the opening of new production lines at its production site in Nanjing, China.

With the inauguration of the new production line, Kemira is able to produce and supply all types of sizing agents (ASA, AKD, cationic rosin, surface size) to ser ve customers in Mainland China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan and other Asia-Pacific region. The investment broadens the company’s paper chemicals product offering and strengthens its already leading position in the pulp and paper industry.

“The demand for high quality sizing products is increasing in APAC, especially for packaging and board grades,” said Nichlas Kavander, SVP,

Commercial, Kemira Pulp & Paper, APAC. “With the new investment in our Nanjing site, we are able to produce the highest quality sizing products and leverage existing infrastructure. The location in Nanjing Chemical Park provides access to utilities and an excellent logistic network.”

Sizing agents are used for improving water resistance in paper and board. They are an impor tant par t of Kemira’s Total Chemistr y Management (TCM) offering, which ensures access to best chemical technology and applications and smart process management technologies.

“Nanjing is the most developed and modern site in Kemira APAC using advanced production technology”, said Hanspeter Enzmann, VP, Manufacturing, APAC. “The new production line is highly automated to ensure safety, best quality

and quality consistency. It utilizes raw material of Kemira’s own in-house production, ensuring that we are cost competitive and can guarantee the highest product quality in the market.”

The production in Nanjing has been expanding since the start in 2014. In addition to these new production lines, the finnish company continues to invest in the Chinese market and production in Nanjing site by opening a new ASA production line in the end of 2017.

Consul General of Finland to Shanghai Mr. Jan Wahlberg also attended the FennoSize Emulsion Plant Grand Opening Ceremony.

Sources: Kemira, Consulate General of Finland in Shanghai August 2017 • ScandAsia.China 7

Business

Johan Uddman

a Swedish Fintech and InsurTech start-up investor in China

J

By Joakim Persson

ohan Uddman is the Swede in Shanghai who is strongly involved in building the local ecosystem for financial technology, or fintech star t-ups. He is responsible for JadeValue (a CashBUS subsidiary) – a fintech investor and incubator space located in the heart of the financial centre of Shanghai. And now JadeValue InsurTech incubator has also opened.

Johan explains how this came about and what is going on within fintech in China and JadeValue’s role.

The journey to get to this position began some years ago when Johan went to China for post degree studies. After his studies Johan decided to return to China again, so it was a deliberate decision to seek a career there, and he first worked with a Danish guy helping him to build up an executive search company.

8 ScandAsia.China • August 2017

Then Johan got to know the owner of CashBUS, a successful Chinese entrepreneur who is today his employer and partner. Johan makes it sound like the most natural thing in the world, but this must surely be a unique pair so far in the Chinese start-up world.

“I got in touch with the founder and we got to know each other during a few months, right when he had started CashBUS. I could see how the company was growing, and got to know the team.

It somehow made sense to start working with him, as we also had a good personal relationship - and I did. And since then the company has grown as a classic Chinese start-up.”

Johan had not previously worked within the start-up scene, and yet he is now in charge of running JadeValue, investing in Fintech start-ups and incubating some companies.

JadeValue addresses the main barriers for star t-ups; namely lack of capital, network and talent, and by introducing them to the Fintech eco-system.

“It has been more learning by doing, because when I joined CashBUS the team was around 3040 in the tech team and has now grown to 250 of which JadeValue has 14 staff members So, also our business has grown a lot – monthly – since we started out, so I have been in a very tough fintech school for a few years now. And when working directly with the founders flying around the world and meeting other entrepreneurs and venture capitalists one learns quickly, so it has been a good school with me now ending up in a position where I am the person who myself invests and runs an ecosystem within fintech. It has been quite a fast journey indeed,” he smiles.

“JadeValue has a large office here in Shanghai, with one side as an investor We are on one side an investor, secondly we incubate some of the smaller startups to help them to grow. We have an in-house team assisting startups both in the incubator and our por tfolio also not located here.”

“And right now, I’m also putting up an insurance technology fund that we will launch come December 2017. We are investing in early rounds, seed and pre-A., and then we will have a fund, but more for insurance technology.”

“One can say that we are on one hand an investor but Jade Value positions itself between all as a connector between traditional industry, capital, infrastructure and tech so we can have this entire network around us. Then we also have start-ups that we invest in and hat network too, so we are building up an ecosystem around our portfolio.”

Johan tells that he has been instrumental in building up certain things within the company, especially when it comes to foreign contacts and certain VC relations and he mostly manages their communication to the world outside China.

“We have been ver y active to be in the forefront and know what is going on and have developed a good international and local network. Mostly we have learnt things extremely fast, while CashBus’ business has been extremely successful – so we got a good combination and now we are in the limelight of the fintech network here.”

China has the largest fintech market in the world, with a highly tech-savvy population and leading innovation, and on this market CashBus has grown into a market-leading mobile consumer financial service provider.

The lack of credit histor y automatically excludes many people from such traditional services but with assistance from new technology the ability to underwrite through innovation based on alternative data has grown rapidly.

“The largest part of the Chinese population remains underbanked an also unbanked. And one must start often from scratch, so then we use what we call alternative data, which can be anything from data from their phone records, to e-commerce to behavioural data – everything.

We use many thousands of data points, to create algorithms and models for our risk engine. And then, with many millions of customers, over time we increasingly have attempts to get a loan, which builds more data. Over time your bad loans consequently will go down based on those algorithms,” explains Johan.

“In fintech, the key is to have smart customer acquisition strategy and customer first focus,

which you get by using your big, or smart, data in the right way and building models around that.”

CashBus already have many millions of customers and charge a fee for individuals taking a loan.

CashBus also builds other parts within similar verticals such as insurance technology, wealth management etc. “Many fintech companies that grow large in China are very good at using data.

First, one has a core product, as we have done with a loan product. But then when you have lots of data it is quite easy to use that also for other products, for example insurance products.

That’s the trend in China, with e-commerce in China where Alibaba and others have wealth management, insurance – everything in one.”

Inclusive financials services will be the big gamechanger in China going forward.

“Within lending etc. most of the population has not had access at all to get some sort of credit, with no history, and banks in China are usually government-owned and have not had any interest in driving innovation to be able to be more inclusive,” the Swede explains and continues: “So these alternative lending companies in China come with a function too; if individuals need smaller credits they can perhaps build on that and continue to get it from a bank in the future to invest in an apartment etc. And you also have a large middle class growing fast in China, but when they have grown fast and gained a lot of capital they lack ideas what to do with it and for instance investment advice etc. have often been reserved for high net worth individuals.”

“But when you get more wealth tech such as Robo-Advisory [digital financial advice based on mathematical rules or algorithms] and different investment products like Ant Financial where one can invest in their digital funds with almost no money at all, and where one can invest easily and get very cheap advice via algorithms then it will also become more inclusive.”

There are also similar needs concerning good insurance coverage.

“Insurance is difficult to grasp, not userfriendly and reserved for the group with more money. Now one can do insurance that is more micro level and more affordable and via mobile and much more focused on the customer. There we can see that more people will get access to insurance and better information and more transparency as more technology enters the insurance business, which traditionally is very oldschool using old legacy systems.”

“And one of the largest revolutions will probably come with blockchain where one can revolutionize everything to do with intellectual ownership of data, transparency, so there is a

need for huge amounts of investment,” Johan also predicts, as many others also do.

As for the traditional banks Johan says some of them are seriously looking into it. But it is still at a very early stage.

“One is seeing, like with insurance companies, that they are critically aware they will be the audience on the side lines unless they develop new tools now. Many large insurance companies invest and collaborate a lot with star t-ups to get hold of the technology needed to meet the customers’ needs in the future. Startups might also need to partner with insurance companies for licensing and regulatory reasons, and also to get scale, customer base.”

With artificial intelligence, big data is currently also re-innovating the real estate industry, which will be especially disrupting force in emerging developing economies, such as China, according to JadeValue.

“For instance, we have invested in a start-up that is like a housing man as an ecosystem where one can via technology see how many rooms are available and that connect tenants, owners and landlords. Then you have technology that filtrate all information not needed and get the right info on what rooms that one can rent in e.g. Beijing.”

In China you have no trust in information; you believe it’s false and there is no real consumer trust in brokers, agents etc. The real estate AI star t-ups turn this upside down by being transparent, giving the right information about real estate and connecting all parties in a cost-effective way.”

Being a foreigner in China Johan can also give a few words of advice when it comes to entering China within fintech, saying that it is quite difficult to launch a fintech company and that many underestimate this.

“If you bring your fintech company to China to do things in China you must really understand the Chinese culture deeply. That’s the first part that is difficult to understand for entrepreneurs.

And you must also understand the dynamic and the impor tance of your network here which is much more important than in Europe. They think there is always a big market and it is only a matter of coming here, but if there is a large market you also have extreme competition.

Then you have some who are smar ter and open here via local partner, which usually works the best.”

“And in China you really need to have something that stands out, otherwise you will have 15 copycats within one week! And you must be very technologically clever, because China is among the foremost in the world when it comes to big data in the forefront.”

August 2017 • ScandAsia.China 9

Community

Marianne Andersen

A Danish author in Hong Kong Text: Colin Rampton

An International citizen

Hong Kong is truly a cosmopolitan city, one where you might meet people from all over the world. You would have to search ver y hard however to find anyone with such a truly international background as Danish author Marianne Andersen, who I had the pleasure to interview recently.

Marianne has just had her children’s book ‘The Golden Age’, published on iTunes but more about that later. Let us first talk about her internationalism. Although born in Copenhagen, Marianne grew up in various locations including France, USA, Somalia, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Thailand. Her father is a former official with UNICEF and was posted for various periods of time to all of those countries.

Marianne studied in several different International schools, before returning to Denmark as a sixteen year old boarder to attend the prestigious Herlufsholm School in Naestved.

African Memories

I asked which country had wielded the most influence. Without hesitation she spoke of her 10 ScandAsia.China • August 2017

early teenage years in Zaire, her time in and around the capital city of Kinshasa and her African friends. She loved the country, although it had its share of burgeoning political problems, culminating in the rebellion of 1997. She knew Zaire before that, and fondly reminisces of African calmness in the face of adversity. She became aware of true poverty when accompanying her father on field trips, and a legacy of those days remains in her appreciation of having food on the table and an intense dislike of wasting it. Arriving in Bangkok after Kinshasa was something of a culture shock, but past experience had taught her the skills of adaptability and she soon made new friends. She has kept friendships intact that were founded in each of those cities.

Danish Influence

Of course Denmark has a rich culture of storytelling and despite her frequent relocations, Marianne’s homes contained many beloved books - in her home language, in English and in French. She loved the fantasy element to the fairy tales of her namesake Hans Christian Andersen as well as those of The Brothers Grimm. Later

authors such as P.L Travers also provided a lasting influence. ‘Mary Poppins’ remains a favorite for both Marianne and her nine year old daughter.

Fantasy stories and legends of the unexpected fired Marianne’s creativity, and even as a little girl she loved to put her ideas upon paper. The Danish culture of her father, combined with the French of her mother and the influences of the countries in which she lived, combined to make her childhood an exciting one - one where her imagination could blossom. She looks back upon her childhood and life with her parents and two younger siblings with sincere affection.

Life in England

After graduating from her Danish school and taking a gap year to travel in Asia, Marianne took advantage of her fluency in English and love of language to embark upon an English Literature degree at Anglia University in the bustling academic city of Cambridge, UK. In Cambridge she embraced student life and even got to understand some of the idiosyncrasies of the British class system.

After University, the need to pursue a career

Age’ and she explained that the idea of the story first occurred to her many years ago, in fact its core had been on her mind since childhood.

After several drafts, she finally completed what she describes as ‘a novel for children, which adults will enjoy’.

The story tells of a Hong Kong based little girl’s journey from a world of enchantment and serenity to one where she has to deal with mysterious creatures and dangerous phenomena.

The story has great meaning for Marianne and encompasses her love of fantasy and its link with reality. Marianne’s wide experiences of differing cultures have led her to conclude that exposure to a range of legends, traditions and faiths encourages openness, mutual understanding and compassion. Most significantly they illustrate the commonality of many cultures. Hong Kong’s rich culture is woven into the plot of ‘The Golden Age’.

Marianne summed up her motivation to write: “I love literature – whether novels or fairy stories. It gave me comfort and happiness when I was a child and I want to share that feeling. Even if you have setbacks or problems in your life, good literature can give you the inner strength you need to help you through life’s dilemmas.”

Danish Roots

led her to the bright lights of London. She began her working life as a publisher’s assistant, then she worked in telemarketing and a variety of other public relations jobs. Perhaps the most rewarding, but least financially lucrative of her work experiences came when she accepted an internship in the Press Team of UNICEF UK. Here she was involved in a demanding miscellany of ‘fixing’ activities such as checking and launching press releases, speaking to journalists, organizing fund raising events and liaising with some of the well-known UNICEF celebrity ambassadors.

Enjoyable though her work at UNICEF was, the high cost of London living led her to seek more lucrative employment. She widened her experience in various Public Relations roles, including one assisting the well-known PR guru Simon Astaire, and later as a Media Assistant at the BBC.

Off to the Far East

In 2006 Marianne married her British boyfriend Darren and their daughter was born in London in 2007. Later that year an opportunity arose for Darren to develop his architectural skills in Hong

Kong and the couple arrived in the territory with their six-month old baby.

At fir st Hong Kong seemed a little overwhelming and for a few months Marianne felt the pangs of loneliness, but she took up a suggestion from a doctor friend and joined a Mothers’ group based at Matilda Hospital. The twice weekly gatherings were eagerly anticipated and she soon had a strong network of local friends.

Now Marianne is ver y much at home in Hong Kong. She appreciates the honesty of the locals, the relative safety of the streets and the rich traditional culture. Even though she is already trilingual, she recently began to learn Cantonese – a tall order by any European’s standards. The tones are not easy to master but her efforts are beginning to pay off and locals are genuinely delighted when she is able to accurately pronounce a phrase. She lives on Hong Kong Island in the bustling area of Tin Hau.

‘A Golden Age’

But back to the world of writing, and I asked Marianne to tell me a little about ‘The Golden

I asked Marianne what she missed most about Denmark. Her parents, brother and sister immediately came to mind. Her extended family members are scattered widely throughout the country. She loves nature and misses the serene countryside and the spiritual attitude of many Danish people.

“They love the land and want to look after it for the next generation.”

She also misses the lively city of Copenhagen and the traditional dinner parties where family and friends gathered around a long table to eat and enjoy each other’s company.

The Danish community in Hong Kong is about 1000 strong and Marianne knows many of its members, but she also made the point that Danes tend to be outgoing and are able to integrate easily. She herself has friends of many different nationalities.

The Future

In keeping with their international outlook, Marianne and Darren chose the Korean International School for their daughter. They are happy with the English medium curriculum on offer there, and delighted at the exposure to yet another culture and the friendliness of their daughter’s Korean classmates.

Marianne has already began work on her second book - a new fairy tale also set in Hong Kong. ‘The Golden Age’ is selling well in different areas of the world and she has under taken several readings in Hong Kong schools and private homes. Marianne’s motivation and love of words will stand her in good stead for future projects and this fine example of ‘an international citizen’ is sure to go from strength to strength as her writing reputation blossoms.

For more information about Marianne Andersen go to Facebook: Marianne Andersen HK August 2017 • ScandAsia.China 11

Business

Three new Denmark visa application centres open in China

O

n 1 June 2017 The Royal Danish Embassy to China opened three new Visa Application Centers to public in the cities of Fuzhou, Shenzhen and Xi’an.

The three new centres are part of Denmark’s continuous efforts to facilitate travel by a growing number of Chinese outbound tourists in the “China-Denmark Tourism Year 2017”, and add to the nine existing ones in Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jinan, Nanjing, Shanghai and Shenyang.

“I am ver y pleased to see the new Visa centres open their doors in Fuzhou, Shenzhen and Xi’an, representing a total population of

186 million in these provinces, and marking our step forward to promoting what Denmark has to offer as a destination for both sightseers and business travellers,” said A. Carsten Damsgaard, Ambassador of Denmark to China.

“What’s geographically significant is that the centre in Xi’an will provide applicants from five landlocked provinces and regions in Northwest China with easier access to Denmark and Europe.”

The openings came after five centres were opened across China in the spring of 2016.

The Kingdom of Denmar k (Denmar k, Greenland and Faroe Islands) offers unique landscapes of natural beauty and cultural heritage

Trade minister Ann Linde visited Hong Kong

I

n addition to signing the ‘Working Holiday Scheme’ between Hong Kong and Sweden on 28 June the Swedish Minister for EU Affairs and Trade Ann Linde had a bilateral meeting with Chief Executive CY Leung to continue the dialogue on fur ther Sweden-Hong Kong cooperation.

She had a round table discussion with various Swedish companies in Hong Kong and local partners to explore potential opportunities and challenges in the local markets.

12 ScandAsia.China • August 2017

of Hans Christian Andersen, fjords, icebergs and midnight sun in Greenland and unspoiled nature at the Faroe Islands.

Denmark was one of the first EU countries to opened visa centres in China in 2010, and since then the bilateral people-to-people contacts in the field of tourism have thrived. The Danish government forecasts to receive 262,000 Chinese outbound travellers this year, up from 218,000 in 2016. The figure stood at 50,000 in 2009.

The travellers’ passion will further be ignited following that a social media post by the Royal Danish Embassy in Beijing about an invasive plague of Pacific oysters along the Limfjord’s shores in Northern Jutland has attracted tens of millions of interactions on a possible “eating tour” to Denmark.

Applications for both short-term visa and long-term residence permit can be handed over to these 12 centres. Normally, the visa procedure takes approximately five to 11 working days, and a little longer during the high season.

The collection of biometric data also needs to be done at these centres in accordance with the implementation of the Visa Information System (VIS). The fingerprint scans can be re-used for further visa applications over a 5-year period.

Denmark is the only country being able to issue travel permissions to Greenland and Faroe Islands along with the Schengen visa sticker.

Wor th mentioning, Iceland is represented

by Denmark in Shanghai and Guangzhou. It will therefore be possible to hand in applications for short-term visa to Iceland at the Centers in Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Business

Prime Minister Stefan Löfven visited China

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n 26-28 June, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven visited China, joined by several government councils and a business delegation. The Minister for Industry and Innovation Mikael Damberg, EU and Trade Minister Ann Linde and Environment Minister Karolina Skog joined the trip.

The Prime Minister also held talks with China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang and spoke at the World Economic Forum.

The government-led delegation trip took place within the government’s Team Sweden initiative together with companies and authorities, focusing on green innovation and sustainability.

China is one of the world’s largest economies and accounts for a large part of global growth.

In China, there is also a great demand for green innovation to change society in a more sustainable direction.

Sweden is a world leader in the field and the prime minister therefore heads a delegation within the government’s Team Sweden initiative with companies and authorities with expertise demanded in China.

On 28 June, the Swedish PM met with Jack Ma, Founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group to explore collaborations between e-commerce giant Alibaba and Swedish businesses.

During his state visit to China, the Swedish Prime Minister was joined by a delegation of 25 Swedish companies which he presented to Alibaba. Among the delegation were Babybjörn, H&M, Zound Industries, Fjällräven, Scania, Volvo and Rise.

“I thought it might be interesting for him to meet a number of companies from the EU’s most innovative country and brought me 25 Swedish companies,” said Löfven.

Alibaba stands alone for 50 percent of the world’s e-commerce. Acess to the platform will

create big opprtunities for Swedish companies and brands.

Also, in the presence of PM Löfven, and Chairman of Geely, Li Shufu, Geely Group and the City of Gothenburg signed a letter of intent concerning the establishment of Geelys Innovation Center at Lindholmen Science Park on 28 June.

The new innovation center will be of approximately 70 000 square meters and bring 3500 new jobs to Sweden, said Prime Minister Löfven, who celebrated the deal by test driving one of Geely’s new car models with Chairman Li Shufu in the backseat.

According to Business Region Göteborg, a non-profit company working to develop and strengthen trade and industry in the Gothenburg region, the Geely Group has also signed a letter of intent with Älvstranden Utveckling AB for the acquisition of a 24 500 square meter plot. There, one or more buildings will be built for several different activities within the Geely Group.

Geely also plans for other Chinese automotive operators to be able to conduct research and development in the new innovation center.

Geely Group’s, chairman Li Shufu appreciated the suppor t of the Swedish government and Göteborg City in the effor ts to create the conditions for the Group’s research and development.

“We make a commitment to long-term investment in the Geely Innovation Center in Europe. By taking advantage of the exper tise in Gothenburg, especially the planned electric mobility center at Lindholmen, we strive to develop Geely Innovation Center into one of Europe’s most advanced innovation hubs, “said Li Shufu.

PM Löfven said that Geely developed and strengthened Volvo as a leading passenger car

brand and that the establishment, together with previous significant investments, contributes to both growth and jobs in Sweden.

At the meeting at Geelys Headquar ters in Hangzhou, the City of Gothenburg was represented by Ann-Sofie Hermansson, Mayor of Gothenburg, Maria Rydén from the Municipal Council and Patrik Andersson from Business Region Gothenburg.

“The establishment of Geelys Innovation Center is a receipt for competence and innovation in developing the sustainable transport of the future. Gothenburg is worldclass in this area,” said Ann-Sofie Hermansson.

“The Gothenburg region’s vehicle clusters have had remarkable growth in recent years, where several new players have been added.

Geelys’ establishment will be another big and important piece of puzzle in this development, and we are pleased to be able to offer good conditions for such a big effor t,” said Patrik Andersson.

Source: Business Region Göteborg, Embassy of Sweden in China, Swedish Government

August 2017 • ScandAsia.China 13

Business

Hong Kong investment company starts two companies in Finland

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he Hong Kong stock exchange listed investment holding company Paladin Ltd has established two technology companies in Finland. The company duo named Kindhelm and Pexraytech is set to conduct research and product development as well as carry out system integration projects and programs.

InvestinFinland convinced the Hong Kong based Paladin group to grow its business using Finland as one of its platforms. Main reason? The quality of Finnish engineering that the recently established Paladin-group companies will tap on for research and product development, states Consulate General of Finland in Hong Kong and Macao.

Paladin trusts in the strength of Finnish engineer ing. As Paladin investigated the possibilities of entering the Finnish market, the Hongkongese company became par ticularly attracted by the level and experience of applied research and product development engineering talent in Finland, writes Helsinki Business Hub. For Paladin, the strong local know-how is crucial, as the company plans to integrate and tailor existing and newly developed technologies for larger, advanced systems.

In Finland, Paladin does not look to hide its light under a bushel. One of the company’s main goals is to take an active role in Finnish and European research and development collaboration.

“The Finnish tech ecosystem is one of the most attractive in the world,” says James Oung, the CEO of Paladin. “We are extremely excited to build up our business in Finland and simultaneously strengthen our presence in Europe. During this process, we have received outstanding help from Finpro, Helsinki Business Hub, Espoo Marketing and Tekes.”

“Paladin’s decision to locate here underlines Finland’s existing strengths in technology,” comments Markku Lehikoinen, Senior Advisor at Finpro’s Invest in Finland. “Meanwhile, it further enriches the Finnish tech ecosystem. We are more than happy to welcome Paladin to Finland.”

Of the two companies, Kindhelm will have a 14 ScandAsia.China • August 2017

focus on high-accuracy navigation and positioning technologies. Globally, the importance of such solutions has been steadily growing for the likes of the aerospace and marine industries.

Meanwhile, Pexraytech’s activities are organised around X-ray devices. The new company star ts with an R&D phase that involves fur ther developing X-ray technology and application in order to meet the necessary product specifications.

“We aim to run profitable and sustainable commercial enterprises that ultimately become leading companies in their specific fields,” says James Oung. “Bearing in mind our goals, Finland has a highly advanced local technology research infrastructure, which works perfectly for us. Meanwhile, there are plenty of potential customers among the Finnish and European advanced technology companies.”

Kindhelm and Pexraytech have star ted operations at Innopoli 1 in Otaniemi, Espoo.

Simultaneously, the companies have kicked off the recruitment processes for the new employees.

Invest in Finland, wor king as a unit of Finpro, assists international companies in finding business oppor tunities in Finland, produces information about Finland as an investment location as well as develops and coordinates the national FDI promotion work, networking actively with regional and international actors.

Invest in Finland also compiles information about foreign-owned companies in Finland.

Finpro helps Finnish SMEs go international, encourages foreign direct investment in Finland and promotes travel to Finland. Finpro is a public organisation consisting of Export Finland, Visit Finland and Invest in Finland.

Helsinki Business Hub Oy, the regional development agency for the Finnish capital region, makes Helsinki the best place to accelerate your business. They enable foreign companies to establish their businesses and innovation driven companies to grow and develop in the Helsinki region.

Espoo Marketing Oy is the local landing par tner of both Finpro and Helsinki Business

Hub for companies interested in the Espoo Innovation Garden ecosystem centred around Aalto Univer sity, VTT Research, a strong and vibrant star tup ecosystem of multiple accelerators and co-working places, such as Star tup Sauna, EIT Digital and tens of R&D organisations and facilities, such as Nor thern Europe’s largest cleanrooms at Micronova for sensor, microtechnology and nanotechnology research.

Source: Helsinki Business Hub

Business

Nevs presented InMotion Concept in Shanghai

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ormer Saab Automobiles Nevs, offering a global portfolio of fully electric premium cars, mobility solutions and sustainable city offerings, displayed the new InMotion Concept for the very first time at the technology show CES Asia in Shanghai.

“This is not a normal car - it´s a vision on how we in the future can travel safe and efficiently through a big city, without owning the car – and without a driver,” stated Nevs.

“All the flexible high tech features in the InMotion Concept makes this journey a very pleasant one, no matter if you are working, resting or going with your friends.”

This new concept has been created as a vision for level 5 autonomous vehicles where the interior will be adapted for what the passengers need it for. Flexibility is a key word.

The flexible interior makes it possible for ever yone to use InMotion according to the current needs, whether going to work, having a business meeting or just socializing with friends or family. This is a vehicle with many different ways of usage.

What differentiates from other mass transport solutions is that it´s always individually adapted. InMotion means comfort in a personal environment.

Upon arrival, InMotion will welcome the customer and prepare the interior space according to the personal needs. Occupants only enter and exit the vehicle from the side of the curb to increase safety.

Extending the personalization experience it provides seamless continuity from the previous ride, should the users so wish. It also enables setting the ambiance on the fly via an App.

By using a mobile App to control InMotion functionality, the interior space is left uncluttered.

Occupants access the App to control seat movements, Lighting Ambiance, Environment.

“This design is star ting from an interior perspective, with the intention of showing how people can add quality to their lives by filling the time of travelling with value, and not wasting it

by being stuck behind the wheel, sometimes for hours just to get across the downtown areas.This is why we are displaying this flexible and very user-friendly concept. This is unique compared to others”, says Jonas Hernqvist, Vice President of Sales & Marking.

Nevs was founded in 2012 and acquired the main assets of the Saab Automobile bankruptcy estates. The company is owned by NME Holdings Ltd., Tianjin Bin Hai Hi-tech Industrial Development Area (THT) and State Research Information Technology Co., Ltd. (SRIT).

Head office and main research and development facilities are located in Trollhättan, Sweden. Nevs’ car production plant is located in Trollhättan, with a second production plant and a R&D Centre under construction in Tianjin, China, as well as a production plant in Fujian, China.

Strong increase in Volvo Cars’ first half 2017 profit president and chief executive. “Our momentum continues to build.”

In the Asia Pacific region and China in particular, Volvo outperformed the market. Sales in the region increased by 22.6 per cent, while China sales were up 27.6 per cent.

“Globally, we expect the pace of growth generated in the first half of the year to continue.

We are confident we will report another record year in terms of sales,” said Mr. Samuelsson.

Later this year, Volvo Cars will launch its allnew XC40, its first entry into the fast-growing small premium SUV segment, completing the company’s SUV line-up.

V

olvo Cars, the premium car maker, has repor ted strong growth in operating profit of SEK6.8bn in the first half of 2017, compared to SEK5.6bn for the same period last year, including experiencing a robust sales increase in China.

Revenues rose to SEK99.1bn from SEK84.2bn in the first six months of 2016, while the operating profit margin improved to 6.8 per cent from 6.6 per cent a year earlier, even as the company

continues to invest heavily in new cars and technologies.

Sales for the first six months of the year increased 8.2 per cent compared to the same period last year to 277,641 cars. The first half increase in sales means Volvo Cars remains firmly on course for a fourth consecutive record year.

“We have repor ted strong profits at the same time as making on-going investments in our transformation,” said Håkan Samuelsson,

Volvo Car Group in 2016

For the 2016 financial year, Volvo Car Group recorded an operating profit of 11,014 MSEK (6,620 MSEK in 2015). Revenue over the period amounted to 180,672 MSEK (164,043 MSEK).

For the full year 2016, global sales reached a record 534,332 cars, an increase of 6.2 per cent versus 2015. The record sales and operating profit cleared the way for Volvo Car Group to continue investing in its global transformation plan.

August 2017 • ScandAsia.China 15

Business

Hong Kong and Sweden enters working holiday scheme

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n 28 June the ‘Working Holiday Scheme’ was officially signed by the Minister for EU Affairs and Trade Ann Linde and the Secretary for Labour Welfare of the HKSAR Stephen Sui. This means from 1 January 2018 youths in Hong Kong can apply for a working holiday visa to Sweden, and vice versa.

Welcoming the establishment of the scheme with Sweden, Mr Sui said: “This scheme provides an opportunity for young people in Hong Kong and Sweden to broaden their horizons and to gain living and working experience in a foreign culture. It will also further reinforce bilateral ties between Hong Kong and Sweden.”

The scheme with Sweden is Hong Kong’s 12th bilateral working holiday scheme. Since 2001, Hong Kong has established working holiday schemes with New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Japan, Canada, Korea, France, the United Kingdom, Austria and Hungary. So far, more than 78 000 Hong Kong youths have benefited from the schemes.

When the scheme commences operation youths from each side will be able to apply for a visa under the Scheme, which will allow them to stay in Sweden or Hong Kong for up to 12 months. During the period, they may work to finance their stay. There will be an annual quota of 500 from each side.

The Hong Kong Immigration Department or the Consulate General of Sweden in Hong Kong will respectively issue a working holiday visa to successful applicants from Sweden or Hong Kong who meet, amongst others, the following eligibility criteria: The applicant must be an ordinary resident of Hong Kong holding a valid Hong Kong Special

The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Stephen Sui (second right), Minister for EU Affairs and Trade of Sweden, Ms Ann Linde (second left), Mr Carlson Chan (first right); Acting Consul General of Sweden in Hong Kong, Mr Stefan Noreén (first left)

Photo shows Mr Sui (right) and Ms Linde at the agreement signing ceremony.

Administrative Region passpor t or British National (Overseas) passport for at least the intended period of stay; or a citizen of Sweden holding a passport valid for at least the intended period of stay; The applicant must be aged between 18 and 30; The applicant must not be accompanied by dependent family members; The applicant must possess a departure ticket or sufficient financial resources to purchase such a ticket, and have proof of the financial resources necessary to provide for his/her maintenance during the period of initial stay in Sweden or Hong Kong; and

The applicant must hold medical and liability insurance for his/her entire authorised period of stay.

Details of visa application procedures for applicants from Hong Kong can be found on the website of the Consulate General of Sweden in Hong Kong at www.swedenabroad.com/en-GB/ Embassies/Hong-Kong. Applicants from Sweden may obtain the necessary information from the Department’s website www.immd.gov.hk.

Source: Labour Department, The Government of the HKSAR

Minister Helene Hellmark Knutsson ledv higher education delegation to China

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Mikael Lundgren/Regeringskansliet

16 ScandAsia.China • August 2017

elene Hellmark Knutsson, Sweden’s Minister of Higher Education and Research, visited Beijing and Shanghai in China during 11 – 16 June, heading a delegation with the aim to highlight Sweden as an education and research nation and promote internationalization of higher education and research.

The minister, together with the Swedish delegation with representatives from the higher education sector, had bilateral meetings with China’s education minister Chen Baosheng and Wan Gang, Minister of Science and Technology.

A Memorandum of Understanding on Education and Research was signed.

“China is the country in Asia that sends the most students to Sweden and we have research collaboration at many different levels with China.

The Memorandum of Understanding is an important step to further strengthen relations and stimulate mobility between our two countries.

International exchanges are also very important for an innovative and export-dependent country like Sweden, but also important for strengthening

the quality of higher education and research,” said Minister Helene Hellmark Knutsson.

Sweden is a world-leading country in research and innovation linked to life science. In order to spread knowledge in China about the Swedish life science sector, Helene Hellmark Knutsson will hold a press brief and a speech at the China Sweden Health Forum 2017, which has the theme of healthcare and cooperation in the field.

The Beijing program also included meetings with the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Beijing Union Medical College, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. The trip ended in Shanghai, where the minister and the delegation met researchers and students at the University of Stockholm and visited the Nordic Center, a center that works to promote collaboration between researchers and students from the Nordic countries and China. The delegation minister also met Tongji University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Nokia attended Mobile World Congress Shanghai

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n the last week of June Nokia Shanghai Bell (NSB) attended Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai 2017, the biggest mobile event in Asia, which brings together the worldwide mobile industry.

Previously known as Mobile Asia Expo, MWC Shanghai exhibits everything related to mobile, including devices, drones, virtual reality, gaming, spor ts tech and more. Consulate General of Finland in Shanghai took part in organizing the opening ceremony at Nokia’s exhibition area.

Deputy Consul General of Finland to Shanghai Ms. Maria Halava-Napoles and President of Nokia Shanghai Bell Mr. Mike Wang gave opening words at the Nokia stand.

At MWC NSB presented their industry‘s “broadest and software-driven portfolio (UBB, 5G, IoT, Cloud) as well as service innovations for operator customers and partners in 6 focused vertical industries”. NSB/Nokia are shaping the evolution of networking and global ner vous system through Nokia Bell Lab innovations.

They also showcased virtual reality and digital

Business

health innovations from Nokia Technologies as well as Nokia phones.

From the enabling infrastructure for 5G and the Internet of Things, to emerging applications in virtual reality and digital health – Nokia serves communications service providers, governments, large enterprises and consumers, with the industry’s most complete, end-to-end portfolio of products, services and licensing.

Nokia Shanghai Bell has been deeply rooted in the Mainland China since 1980s.The company has 16,000 employees including 10,000 R&D staff. It provides world-class information communication solutions and high-quality services for customers covering 31 provinces of China and more than 50 countries worldwide. Nokia Shanghai Bell will continue the leading role in the development of a series of advanced technologies such as Mobile Network, Fix Network, Applications & Analytics, IP/Optics etc.

Sources: Sources: Nokia Shanghai Bell, Consulate General of Finland in Shanghai August 2017 • ScandAsia.China 17

Business

Finnish Kuopio anniversary exhibition in Shanghai

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n October of this year, a Shanghai landmark and one of the world’s tallest buildings, the Shanghai World Financial Centre, is presenting Finland’s unspoilt nature and the powerful story of a Finnish woman. The City of Kuopio and the Shanghai Pudong New Area are celebrating their friendship with a two-week exhibition.

The stor y of a Finnish woman and the Kuopio – Capital of Lakeland exhibition in the Pudong district of Shanghai, from 12 to 27 October 2017, is par t of the programme of events marking the 100th anniversary of Finnish independence and one of the fruits of the cultural agreement between the two cities.

The exhibition is also celebrating the five-year history of the cities’ sister city relationship. The exhibition space, the Yun Jian Ar t Museum, is literally “above the clouds”, on the 29th floor of the Shanghai World Financial Centre.

The exhibition will deal with the closeness to nature that, as a leading city in health and wellness technology exper tise, Kuopio draws on as a source of inspiration and wellbeing in both business and art. For Finnish companies, the exhibition will be an open networking and meeting place.

The centrepiece of the exhibition is the story of a Finnish woman as told in a series of glass artworks by the internationally well-known Kuopio designer and glass ar tist, Ritva-Liisa Pohjalainen. Pohjalainen’s art combines a clear Scandinavian idiom with a richness of colour and materials.

“The Shanghai glass art exhibition is a big opportunity and challenge for me. Holding an exhibition in China will open a lot of doors for me internationally. For a long time, I have been seeking to export my art, and this exhibition is a big step,” says Pohjalainen.

In addition to the glass artworks, Finland’s nature and four seasons will be made perceptible to the senses of the exhibition visitors through 18 ScandAsia.China • August 2017

media works with video images and nature sounds from Finland. One of the exhibition themes is Kuopio’s role as the capital of Lakeland and as an attractive tourist destination. The nature images in the videos are juxtaposed with Kuopio’s strong health and wellness expertise, high level of education and Finland’s anniversary year theme, “Together”.

Networking across cultural boundaries

In 2016, China granted the prestigious Exchange and Cooperation Award for Friendship Cities to China to the Shanghai Pudong New Area’s first sister city, Kuopio. This is the only such award given to a Finnish sister city.

The sister city agreement between Kuopio and Pudong New Area was signed in 2012, but cooperation began as early as 2000 with an assessment of the opportunities for collaboration between the technology centres. Subsequently, cooperation between the cities has deepened, especially with regard to educational and cultural exchanges.

Moreover, in collaboration with the Kuopio Region Chamber of Commerce, the City of Kuopio has built up impor tant networks in Shanghai for companies interested in Chinese markets.

On the par t of the City of Kuopio, there has been a vigorous increase in activities in the teaching field, while the cultural side has also remained very active.

The primary objective of the cooperation is to support the internationalisation of Kuopio and the region, strengthen collaboration between technology parks and promote the development of business activity and collaboration between companies. For this purpose, an exceptionally close cooperation network has been formed in Kuopio.

One of the aims of the anniversary exhibition is that it will act as a networking and meeting

place for Finnish companies.

The Kuopio region’s cooperation network for its Shanghai activities is composed of the City of Kuopio, the University of Eastern Finland (UEF), the Kuopio Region Chamber of Commerce, the Savonia University of Applied Sciences and the Savo Region Federation of Municipalities for Vocational Education and Training (SAKKY).

The region’s companies have access to reliable partners and contacts in Shanghai. For example, within the framework of the City of Kuopio’s agreement, Kai Zhan helps companies on the spot.

Companies can contact Ulla Vuori if they would like to arrange meetings in the exhibition space. ulla.helina.vuori(at)kuopio.fi

ScandAsia means Business!

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re you aware of our steadfast business section in ScandAsia? You may have noticed our strengthened focus - in print and online - on innovations, business solutions, joint ventures, star t-ups, trade etc. This is now further enhanced as Business pages in the magazines and with the dedicated ‘Business in Asia’ channel, along with adding business categories, online!

The digital economy and the start-up scene, with business disruption coming with it, are having significant impact on all business sectors and trade, creating the economies of the future. As part of this, and in parallel, Southeast Asia’s economies are continuing to grow and taking significant steps forward and towards becoming developed countries.

Investors and entrepreneurs from the Nordics are increasingly participating in this, setting up businesses here and targeting the region with their products and services.

The type of businesses the Nordics are involved in now span across the board, much thanks to their innovative spirit and the very strong Scandinavian start-up scene. Also, the Nordic countries are shifting focus from developing projects to commercial support in connection to the Southeast Asian countries they have been active within.

The developments and trends that define and shape the business climate are covered by ScandAsia. We award coverage to all stakeholders; introducing new start-ups and business concepts and portraying how larger corporations are adapting their businesses and preparing for the future, and also how the innovations, solutions and know-how from the Nordic countries can find markets and gain market shares in Asia.

With this brief introduction we want to put the spotlight on the increasing importance of B2B and B2C for ScandAsia!

Build awareness around your brand and product (s) through storytelling and engagement!

And did you know: • That ScandAsia is the only dedicated media reaching out and communicating all things of relevancy in connection to the Nordic countries - SEA/China?

• That ScandAsia can assist your business in various ways by communicating news and events as well as other commercial messages (sharing news and events, republish PR, advertorial, email blast, print and e-magazine marketing, e-marketing…)?

• That you can publish your own content marketing on ScandAsia.com?

• That you can have your complimentar y personal and company profile as one of our members on ScandAsia.com (with high-ranking result on Google) and that our web traffic is close to 100,000 readers monthly!

• That you can get extra print copies of the magazine edition featuring your business for an affordable price?

For further information and prices, contact: Mobile: +66 (0) 89761 6701, Ph: +66 (0) 2943 7166, joakim@scandmedia.com, gregers@scandmedia.com

At Stenhus High School you can either attend Pre-IB in English or take the Danish STX og HF exam.

Stenhus High School is one of the largest high schools in Denmark offering a big variety of subjects and extracurricular activities.