On February 5th, the launching ceremony of the 2024 “Happy Chinese New Year in Finland” and the opening ceremony of two photo exhibitions -- “Hello, Beijing” and Auspicious Zodiac Design Competition were successfully held at Vantaa Airport. H.E. Wang Tongqing, Chinese Ambassador to Finland, Pekka Timonen, Mayor of Vantaa, Petri Vuori, Senior Vice President of Finavia, and Heli Mäki-Fränti, Managing Director of the Association of Finnish Travel Industry were present.

In his speech, Ambassador Wang said that over the past 70 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Finland, 17 rounds of “Happy Chinese New Year” have been held in Finland. This year, the 18th “Happy Chinese New Year” would contain a series of events expanding from Helsinki to Vantaa and Tampere. Vantaa Airport being the first stop for Chinese citizens arriving in Finland, it would be of great significance that Spring Festival celebrations were held here. Ambassador Wang emphasized that “Happy Chinese New Year” will serve as a bridge to enhance the understanding and friendship between the two peoples, and that through the joint efforts from both parties and cultural interaction in various forms, cultural exchanges and integration and the people-to-people bonds between the two countries will be further promoted.

Timonen and Vuori first wished Chinese people a happy New Year of the Dragon. In their speeches, they warmly welcomed the launching of “Happy Chinese New Year” at Helsinki Vantaa Airport, and expressed their willingness to cooperate with China to push Finland-China relations forward.

Later, Ambassador Wang and the Finnish guests jointly cut the ribbon for “Hello, Beijing” and Auspicious Zodiac Design Competition photo exhibitions.