ScandAsia China - April 2016

APR 2016
Theme:
International
Schools
Emilia
Tavakoli
spearheads Finncham
Hong Kong as it
celebrates 30 years
ScandAsia.dk ScandAsia.fi ScandAsia.no ScandAsia.se

APR 2016
Coming Events
Swedish Career Fair 2016
Emilia
Tavakoli
spearheads Finncham
Hong Kong as it
celebrates 30 years
ScandAsia.dk ScandAsia.fi ScandAsia.no ScandAsia.se
International
Schools
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Where: Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai 500 Weihai Road, Shanghai + Rosewood
Hotel, Jing Guang Centre, Hujialou, Chaoyang District, Beijing
When: Shanghai Saturday 9 April, 10:00-17:00; Beijing Sunday 24 April, 10:00 - 14:00
The Swedish Career Fair is a platform in which
talented young professionals can meet with
company representatives to exchange ideas and
opportunities.
A mix of large and small international Swedish
companies will participate and present the
opportunities they offer within their organizations.
The event lasts a full day and is free of charge
for all visitors. Pre-registration is required in order
to secure your attendance.
Vappu Junk 2016
Where: Leaving from Central Pier 9
When: Sat 30 April, 09:45 AM - 06:00 PM
One of the things that makes Hong Kong so
unique is that the city is surrounded by sea and,
therefore, jumping on a junk boat MUST be
on your Hong Kong bucket list! Since VAPPU is
one of the biggest Finnish celebrations of the
year, we want to organize something special: YP
Vappu Junk Boat 2016 celebration with a Nordic
touch! Furthermore, we will get together with the
Swedish Young Professionals!
We are happy to invite you and your family
to celebrate an old Danish tradition; Skt. Hans.
Together we will welcome the Danish midsummer.
Besides a lovely dinner we will arrange a few social
activity games and we hope to create some fun
and memorable moments.
Price: Members: RMB 250 Non-members:
RMB 350 Children above 10: RMB 100
Companies, ranging from SME’z to MNC’s, will
be participating in this year’s Swedish Career Fair. A
wide range of industries; from retail, manufacturing,
banking, recruiting, and more are exhibiting in the
largest Swedish fair in China. Come and meet
them!
This year we present the theme Green
Sweden - focusing on Swedish companies being
world leaders in sustainable innovations and CSRrelated
activities.
Doing Business in China: How do You
Handle the Request For Kick-backs
Where: Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai 500 Weihai Road, Shanghai
When: Thu 14 April, 08:00-10:00
Swedish Chamber of Commerce, China Chamber
Breakfast: While most companies have compliance
policies, not all Chinese staff buy into and adhere to
those policies. The key reason being many people
could not figure out how they could be compliant
and still win business contracts and meet their
business targets. Hence, this breakfast session
DCCC South China: Sankt Hans
Where: Coloplast, Zhuhai
When: 4 June, 2:30PM – late
tackles the issues how international companies and
businesses can handle requests for kick-backs and
other unreasonable demands, AND STILL able to
do business in China.
Speaker: c.j. Ng. Price: Members: 200RMB,
Non-members: 600RMB
We will meet up at 9.45 am at Central Pier
9 on Saturday, 30th of April. The boat will leave at
10am and the magnificent morning harbor view
of Hong Kong will surround us. We will eat, sing,
chat and enjoy the ocean breeze as we sip on our
summer drinks. … Sounds like a perfect day to
us! When the time comes, we will return to the
ground and enter Hong Kong’s nightlife.
The price for the members is HK$400 and for
non-members HK$600, including food & drinks.
Space is limited so be fast and secure your place
on the coolest Vappu boat in Hong Kong!
The price includes: Afternoon refreshments
and dinner.
Lemonade and sluch-ice is kindly sponsored
by Sunquick
Hotel accommondation: Grand Bay View
hotel, Zhuhai.
Registration: Please send a email to dccsc@
dccsc.net with name(s) and company.

New chairwoman elected for
FinnCham Hong Kong
On 26 Feb 2016 Anna Hyrske, was elected as new Chairwoman
within the new 2016 Finnish Chamber of Commerce in Hong
Kong (FinnCham) board of directors.
Anna Hyrske has been on the FinnCham board since 2015 and she
is currently working as Head of Responsible Investments and Portfolio
Manager at Ilmarinen, a Finnish Pension Insurance Company with an AuM
of over €34 billion. Anna joined Ilmarinen in 1999 and has since held
various positions such as Credit Analyst and Corporate Responsibility
Advisor.
She has co-written the first Finnish handbook on responsible
investments and is frequently asked to give lectures and speeches on this
topic, both in Finland and internationally. She holds bachelor degrees in
economics from Université de Montpellier I (France), The Nottigham Trent
University (UK) and a master’s degree from Hanken (Finland).
Ms. Hyrske is replacing Henna Räisänen, who served as the FinnCham
Chairwoman for the past two years 2014-2015. FinnCham thanked Henna
Räisänen for a job very well done.
“Her efforts during the past two years have revamped the chamber
and brought it into a new business-focused and active direction. Ms.
Räisänen will continue on as a board member during 2016 to ensure
continuity within the chamber’s management.“
Two new board directors also joined the Finnish Chamber board at
the AGM: Pete Helin (Enics) and Sari Arho Havrén (Tekes). They replaced
departing board members Mats Berg (Kemira) and Sebastian Risku
(Finnair), who were both relocating back to Finland.
Board members Siru Heino and Sari Arho Havren absent from photo
Ten more Swedish visa
application centres in China
To make the application process more convenient for the increasing
numbers of Chinese travelers, Sweden will open new visa application
centres in several cities in China.
During the spring, ten new Swedish visa application centres will open
in Xi’an, Chongqing, Nanjing, Chengdu, Shenyang, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Jinan,
Kunming and Changsha. Currently, there are visa application centres in
Beijing and in Shanghai.
The number of Chinese visitors to Sweden is growing rapidly, and the
opening of new visa application centres in different parts of the country
will make it more convenient for visitors to submit their applications. With
the new application centres, we hope that even more Chinese travelers
will get a chance to experience Sweden.
“We welcome Chinese travelers to visit Sweden, the country of Nobel,
the northern lights and the midnight sun. By opening visa application
centres in several locations in China, we hope to provide the best
possible service together with VFS Global,” said Anna Eriksson, head of the
migration section at the Embassy of Sweden.
In recent years, China has become one of Sweden’s fastest growing
tourism markets. Pristine nature, innovative design, and a unique lifestyle
experience are some of the factors that attract Chinese tourists to
Sweden. According to the latest figures from Visit Sweden, the number of
room nights booked by Chinese tourists in Sweden increased by 28.5%
in 2015, and this growth trend is only expected to continue in the years
to come
Source: Consulate General of Sweden Shanghai
News Brief
First Finnish education
conference ever held
in Hong Kong
Held in February the Finnish Education Conference, hosted by
FinnCham’s Education Committee, was the first ever in Hong
Kong.
The event attracted over 120 guests, including local media. Seven
participating edutech companies came from Finland to showcase their
products and services to Hong Kong’s education sector.
Additionally, the three key note speakers, all Finnish experts on
education innovation, gave informative and inspiring seminars about the
success of Finland’s education system, ways to integrate Finnish edutech
tools into Hong Kong, and how we can collaborate and learn from each
other moving forward. FinnCham will continue hosting similar seminars.
Source: Finnish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong
April 2016 • ScandAsia.China 3

News Brief
13 new Finnish visa centres in China
Finland’s visa services in China will expand
throughout the country with 13 new visa
centers to be opened in spring 2016.
Furthermore, services for Chinese visitors will be
further improved by Stopover Finland packages
that will be launched in the end of March.
Finnish authorities and Finnish tourism related
companies continue to expand their offer of
convenient and fast services for Chinese visitors
to Finland.
These cities are (in alphabetical order)
Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Fuzhou,
Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jinan, Kunming, Nanjing,
Shenyang, Shenzhen, Wuhan and Xi’an. In addition
to these cities, Finland has application centres in
Beijing and in Shanghai.
Stopover Finland packages to be
launched soon
Visit Finland together with Finnair and other
Finnish tourism related companies will launch a
new stopover service in the end of March. The
new service provides stopover packages that
cater the needs of Chinese visitors wishing to stay
in Finland between 5 hours to 5 days.
The tourism from China to Finland is
experiencing a rapid growth thanks to customer
friendly, flexible and better services.
The number of overnight stays by Chinese
visitors in Finland grew more than 40% in 2015
in comparison to the previous year and Chinese
travelers are already the biggest spenders per visit
of all the international visitors in Finland.
Finland’s new visa application centres in
different parts of China, including in the cities with
direct flight connections to Helsinki, offer easier
and more comfortable access to visit beautiful
and pure Finland.
Further information about the opening of
the visa application centers will follow later on
these channels:
www.finland.cn, www.vfsglobal.cn/finland/
china/English/index.html, e.weibo.com/
thisisfinland
Discover China opportunities seminars held in Sweden
By Joakim Persson
Stiftelsen Teknikdalen – Ideas into business, in
the Swedish province of Dalarna recently
held China seminars in tree cities to present
the world’s largest economy as the land of
opportunity and a trendsetter.
It is in China where innovation, trends and
future growth occurs, thus it is very interesting for
Swedish companies to build relationships in China
for international expansion or simply to shift gear.
In China one does business through relationships
and therefore the Teknikdalen Foundation has
previously coordinated trips to China to increase
the knowledge, network and to seek business
opportunities.
The 1-3 February seminars, held in the
citites of Gävle, Borlänge, and Mora, included
inspirational speakers who are well versed in the
art of doing business, in order entrepreneurs in
Sweden to get both inspiration and knowledge of
the Chinese market.
Xu Min, SWEdala office Wuhan
Xu Min helps companies from the provinces
Dalarna and Gävleborg to get in touch with
Chinese business partners. He also works at
the Swedish Environmental Research Institute’s
offices in Beijing and can give us a unique insight
into what is happening in the Chinese market.
50% of what is being copied in China are
copies, is that correct? Elio de Tullio from the
EU’s China IPR - SME Helpdesk gave the answer.
This Helpdesk assists companies with advice on
the Chinese copyright law (trademarks) and
the negotiations around licensing, manufacturing
and distribution agreements in connection with
operations in China.
The art of doing business in China by Peter
Grufman. Which business opportunities and
difficulties are involved in starting and running
a manufacturing company in China? Peter has
extensive experience in production in China and
shared their experiences in an inspiring way.
The foundation also informed about
an upcoming trip to China being planned for
this spring, 2016. Marie Ericson, Teknikdalen
Foundation gave a briefing.
Teknikdalen Foundation initiates, operates and
participates in regional, national and international
projects and support new business ideas and
innovations that generate increased growth and
development throughout Dalarna.
4 ScandAsia.China • April 2016

Norwegian Cruise Line launches upscale
cruise liner for Chinese market
Joy’ is the name for the cruise
ship that will pioneer Internationallyacclaimed
Norwegian Cruise Line’s ‘Norwegian
(NCL) expansion into the ‘world’s fastest growing
cruise market.’
NCL unveiled in February 2016 the English
and Chinese names for the world’s first purposebuilt
cruise liner for the China market, described
as the most innovative ship ever styled exclusively
for Chinese guests. The name Norwegian Joy
emphasizes the experience that the ship will offer
– ‘Paradise on the Sea’.
“After closely studying the Chinese cruise
market for several years, we wanted to be clear
about what we will deliver to our guests on this
spectacular vessel,” said Norwegian Cruise Line
Holdings Chief Executive Officer Frank Del Rio.
“Norwegian Joy will provide the same sense of
freedom and flexibility found on all Norwegian
Cruise Line ships, but with resort-style vacation
experiences and amenities designed specifically
with the Chinese guest in mind.”
With a capacity of 3,900 guests, the new
Breakaway Plus-class vessel will debut in China
in the summer 2017. Xuisine and onboard
experiences will cater to the unique vacation
preferences of Chinese guests. This “unrivaled
customization” for the China market has involved
detailed consultation with Chinese partners and
local experts on the subtleties of Chinese culture
and preferences, states NCL.
The upscale cruise experience especially
tailored for modern Chinese travelers extends
from world-class entertainment to a wide range
News Brief
of specially curated fine international dining,
unrivaled duty-free luxury shopping at sea and
a new range of incredible first-at-sea activities
on board.
“Chinese guests will discover an unmatched
quality of service, cuisine, entertainment and
retail experience onboard Norwegian Joy that is
simply not available in the China market today,”
said Senior Vice President and Managing Director
of China, David Herrera. “With Norwegian Joy,
we will unquestionably offer our Chinese guests
a superior product and introduce a new standard
of innovation and excellence into what will soon
be the world’s second largest cruise market.”
NCL has also revealed a new Chinese name
and logo exclusively for the mainland China
market. The company’s name will be represented
by characters 诺 唯 真 (Nuò Wéi Zhēn), translating
as a ‘Promising, Exclusive and Authentic’ cruise line,
which perfectly reflects the company’s dedication
to offering the premier cruise product in China.
Along with outstanding entertainment, dining
and upscale accommodations, Norwegian Cruise
Line is renowned for a unique style of cruising
known as Freestyle Cruising that offers guests the
freedom and flexibility to dine, shop and enjoy
entertainment on their own time schedule in a
fun, relaxed, and energetic atmosphere.
To support NCL’s expansion in China, the
company has opened offices in Beijing (Guomao
CBD) and Shanghai (Xintiandi), supporting
all three brands in the company’s portfolio –
Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and
Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
‘Modern Danish’ at Design Shanghai 2016 fair
On 9 – 12 March 2016 the ‘Modern
Danish’ pavilion opened its doors to
Chinese trade visitors during the four
day long Design Shanghai fair - offering Chinese
audience a chance to sneak peek at modern
Danish lifestyle.
The Danish Trade Council’s design and retail
sector team had this year partnered up with
fast-growing Chinese design firm WoWdsgn and
selected some of Denmark’s best contemporary
brands in an effort to showcase a good balance of
hip, urban, upcoming, innovative design products
along with Danish design icons. Among the Danish
companies in participating in “Modern Danish”
this year were Muuto, AYTM, HANDVÄRK, Aida,
Lindberg Eyewear, Danerka, Flexa, Jacob Jensen
Design, JYSK, Louise Roe and Manostiles.
Design Shanghai is Asia’s leading design
event and was again this year getting massive
media attention from within both design as well
as business press. The event is primarily trade
oriented with a large amount of design retailers,
interior architects, department stores and other
design opinion leaders among it visitors.
In addition to organizing the Danish pavilion
for the Danish companies, The Danish Trade
Council in China had organized match making
with new customers, a press event, an educational
retail field trip and a VIP networking event during
the 4 days.
The ‘Modern Danish’ pavilion was officially
opened by the Danish Ambassador A. Carsten
Damsgaard, Design Shanghai CEO Lee Newton,
WoWdsgn Founder and Chairman Mr. BO Xi
and Aida CEO Peter Maae Jensen and thereby
marked Denmark’s participation with “Modern
Danish” pavilion for the second consecutive year.
Head of Danish Trade Council’s design &
retail team Casper Freddie says: “we believe
that now is a very good time for Danish design
companies to enter and grow in China – the
Chinese economy is changing to become more
consumer-oriented with growth rates still
exceeding 10 % per year and we can see with the
massive interest of Danish design the last couple
of days at Design Shanghai that a high number
of Chinese consumers really have an appetite
to tap into a lifestyle where designed products
are becoming more and more relevant. This is a
golden opportunity for Danish design”
Embassy of Denmark, China
April 2016 • ScandAsia.China 5

News Brief
Kalmar introduces K-Motion technology in the Asia-Pacific region
Kalmar, provider of the widest range of cargo
handling solutions and services to ports,
terminals etc., has introduced their new
Kalmar K-Motion technology for reachstackers
to the Asian market in 2016. A launch event was
held in Shanghai, China in January.
The new solution continues Kalmar’s longterm
commitment to developing solutions that
help customers meet their sustainability targets
and minimise the environmental impact of their
operations. Kalmar K-Motion’s combination of
hydrostatic and mechanical technologies delivers
a more efficient transmission and allows for a
smaller engine, all without compromising drive
and lift power. All of this adds up to a reduction
in both fuel consumption and exhaust emissions
of as much as 40%.
K-Motion’s smart control system improves
precision in both low and high drive-speed modes
by splitting the power to increase overall drive
and lifting efficiency, while the improved joystick
enables more precise driving. As a result, daily
operations are safer as operators can focus on the
task at hand and react more quickly to potential
problems, while the improved ergonomics also
help reduce fatigue.
“Kalmar K-Motion has been developed
as a result of listening closely to the needs of
our customers. The support and feedback we
receive from our customers and dealers is a
key input to our R&D process. K-Motion is a
continuation of our commitment to offering
innovative technologies and world-class solutions
that help our customers achieve their operational
and environmental goals,” said Ken Loh, Executive
Vice President, Kalmar Asia-Pacific.
The first equipment to feature K-Motion
technology is the Kalmar Gloria DRG450
reachstacker, designed for container, intermodal
and industrial handling. Because K-Motion
technology allows for a smaller engine with a
maximum speed of 1700 rpm, it helps reduce
engine noise, thereby improving comfort both
for drivers and anyone in the surrounding area.
“Now more than ever, terminals are under
pressure to increase their capacity, cut costs
and reduce the environmental footprint of
everyday operations. We at Kalmar have a longterm
commitment to developing efficient and
sustainable technology, and this includes the
possible application of K-Motion technology
across our entire range of reachstackers in the
future,” said Stefan Johansson, Director, Sales
and Marketing, Kalmar Reachstackers and Empty
Container Handlers,
Finnish layoffs and increased Chinese
cooperation for Kalmar
Kalmar announced in February 2016 plans
to reorganise its operations in Tampere,
Finland, and deepen cooperation with the
joint venture Rainbow Cargotec Industries (RCI)
in China.
The plan is to utilise the successful cooperation
model that is already in place in the rubber-tyred
gantry (RTG) cranes and extend it to automatic
stacking cranes (ASC). According to the plan,
Kalmar continues to hold the responsibility for
automation and software development, sales,
marketing and customer interface, as well as
project deliveries of mega projects, while RCI
would be responsible for the automatic stacking
cranes.
To implement the plans, Kalmar begins
cooperation procedure with its personnel in the
Automation and Projects division in Tampere,
Finland. Based on the company’s initial estimations,
the possible personnel implications might lead to
the reduction of maximum 35 employees, as well
as to temporary layoffs. Automation and software
development are not included in the scope of
the negotiations. Additionally, this plan does not
6 ScandAsia.China • April 2016
have an impact on the shuttle and straddle carrier
business operations.
“Port automation is in the core of our strategy,
and we expect strong growth in this area in the
future. That is why we are currently recruiting
more software developers here in Tampere. At
the same time, we must make sure that we are
competitive in the global market. Together with
RCI, we have been very successful in delivering
Kalmar RTG projects within the set time, budget
and Kalmar quality standards as well as to the
full satisfaction of the customers. This gives us
confidence that a similar cooperation model in
ASC business would help us in executing our
automation strategy,” says Antti Kaunonen, Senior
Vice President, Automation and Projects, Kalmar.
Kalmar offers the widest range of cargo
handling solutions and services to ports, terminals,
distribution centres and to heavy industry. Kalmar
is the industry forerunner in terminal automation
and in energy efficient container handling, with
one in four container movements around the
globe being handled by a Kalmar solution.
Stora Enso invests
in Consumer Board
and Biomaterials
China growth
Stora Enso (Finland) announced on 1 March
more investment of approximately EUR 63
million to further improve competitiveness
in strategic growth areas in China and Sweden. The
divisions are Consumer Board and Biomaterials.
Stora Enso is investing EUR 31 million in a
new polyethylene (PE) coating line in the new
consumer board mill in Beihai, China, expected
to be in operation during the second quarter of
2016. The investment will enhance Stora Enso’s
strategy for profitable growth and supports
competitiveness by enabling short lead-times
and full quality control for PE-coated prime Food
Service Board (FSB). The investment is expected
to be completed in mid-2017.
The total investments further enhance Stora
Enso’s transformation into a global renewable
materials growth company. EUR 31 million of
these investments are part of the group’s 2016
capital expenditure forecast, which amounts to
EUR 680–720 million.
Stora Enso is a leading provider of renewable
solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wood and
paper on global markets. Their aim is to replace
non-renewable materials by innovating and
developing new products and services based on
wood and other renewable materials.

Fingerprint Cards reports record year
Fingerprint Cards, a Swedish high-tech, listed
company which develops, produces and
markets biometric technology, has reported
on the full year results for January to December
2015. Revenues amounted to SEK 2,900.5 M
(233.6), up 1,142% compared with 2014.
CEO Jörgen Lantto reported that Fingerprint
Cards had major success in China, where
established a market-leading position at an early
stage, within secure mobile payments
“During 2015, our Chinese customers
launched 40 smartphones integrating our touch
fingerprint sensors, of which 33 were launched
during the second half of the year. Our major
Chinese customers are planning for continued
strong growth in 2016, partly on the back of
increased presence outside China. Fingerprint
sensors are also rapidly becoming a mandatory
component in Chinese smartphones, driven by
demand for secure mobile payments.”
“Our successes outside China in the second
half of the year are also worth noting, including
Google’s two Nexus smartphones, which contain
our FPC1025 touch fingerprint sensor. In all, this
is generating excellent conditions for continued
growth in 2016,” he continued.
“We continue to capture market share in
touch fingerprint sensors for smartphones. During
the fourth quarter, 18 smartphones featuring
our touch fingerprint sensors were launched by
smartphone manufacturers including Huawei,
Xiaomi, Lenovo, LG and ZTE, which all belong
to the seven largest smartphone manufacturers
in the world. During 2015, no less than 55
smartphones featuring FPC’s touch fingerprint
sensors were launched by 23 manufacturers,
compared with one smartphone each by two
smartphone manufacturers in 2014.”
On achievements within growing market
segments FPC during the fourth quarter 2015
News Brief
continued work to adapt their sensors for
applications in market segments other than
smartphones, for example, smart cards. This work
is progressing as planned and the first commercial
product launches are scheduled to take place in
2016.
At the start of 2016 FPC also announced
progress in providing their touch fingerprint
sensors to the automotive industry, where they
have already won the first evaluations from a
globally leading car manufacturer concerning
future integration in cars. They also made progress
related to the Internet of Things, whereby different
types of objects are connected to the Internet,
where fingerprint sensors are beginning to gain
a significant role.
“The reason why we secure the first
engagements in these new segments is the
same as in smartphones – we offer the market’s
leading technology and products, thus enabling
our customers to provide the best possible
user experience to the consumers, irrespective
of whether the end product is a smartphone,
a smart card, a vehicle or a connected object,”
reported Jörgen Lantto.
”In 2015, we established FPC as the globally
leading manufacturer of complete and integrated
systems for fingerprint sensors. Our objective
in 2016 is to consolidate our position as the
market’s leading supplier by growing further
together with our existing customers, and by
breaking new ground in smartphones and other
market segments. I am very enthusiastic about
FPC’s future. Our aim is to continue to gain
market share and prepare for a market which,
according to our estimates, will amount to more
than one billion units per year as of 2017.”
Finnair’s Airbus A350 landed in Hong Kong
With the Airbus A350 XWB Finnair is
introducing a ‘New Sense of Flying’ on
its long-haul Asian routes, the latest
destination being Hong Kong.
The Finnish airline’s brand-new Airbus landed
for the very first time at Hong Kong International
Airport on 17 March. Customers flying between
Hong Kong and Helsinki can now experience
Finnair’s A350’s next-generation technology and
comfort.
As the first airline to introduce the A350 to
a Hong Kong route, Finnair’s strategically focuses
on the Asian market. Together with Shanghai,
Bangkok, and Beijing, Hong Kong is among the
first destinations to experience the Finnair A350
aircraft in long haul operations. Finnair expects to
have 7 aircraft by the end of 2016, and intends to
double Asian traffic by 2020.
“This is the biggest investment in Finnair
history. Being among the first airlines to order,
we expect the investment to enable growth
both in our passenger services as well as in
cargo traffic. Time has proven that the market
believes in this concept since the first A350
arrives in Asia, and the experience is more than
satisfactory, in terms of reliability, performance
and customer experience.” says Lars Olofsson,
Sales Director, Greater China, Finnair. “As one
of the most important routes, we are excited to
see the strong growth in the Hong Kong market.”
With the first A350 to fly a Hong Kong route,
travelers will enjoy a new sense of flying brought
by Finnair. The bright and spacious, award-winning
cabin featuring large panoramic windows, inflight
Wi-Fi, brand new entertainment system,
tailored signature menu, Finnair A350 brings all
the luxuries you never imagined in air travel.
”With the Finnair A350, we want to offer
the best experience of Nordic hospitality. Our
aim has been to consider every little detail, from
the personalized service by our cabin crew to
the details of the cabin design. We hope the
escalating product and service will offer Hong
Kong travelers the most pleasant trip to Europe.”
says Maarit Keränen, Head of Inflight Service,
Finnair.
“To better serve the taste buds of Hong
Kong passengers, we created the new menu in
partnership with Executive Chef Jaakko Sorsa
of FINDS Restaurant & Bar in Hong Kong. This
is the first Asian-based chef cooperation for
Finnair. With this cooperation, we want to honor
our Nordic roots, and bring the best of Nordic
flavours to the customers of our Hong Kong
route from Asia to Europe.”
April 2016 • ScandAsia.China 7

Emilia Tavakoli
spearheads
Finncham
Hong Kong
as it celebrates
30 years
By Maria Andreasdottir
The Finnish Chamber of Commerce
in Hong Kong celebrates its 30th
anniversary this year 2016. Emilia
Tavakoli, the Executive Director (ED)
of FinnCham, is in charge of organizing
what will be the grandest event this chamber has
hosted so far. We learn more about Emilia and
this pivotal year for Finncham Hong Kong.
“Right now we are preparing the Chamber’s
30th anniversary, which will be held on 25
November and the Finland’s 100th birthday next
year. It’s like planning a wedding, but with far more
business interests,” She smiles.
Since Emilia entered here role the Finnish
community has been more active than ever. She
is known for striving to constantly improve and
innovate the chamber; which is proved by her
“Young Professional”-upstart group and engaging
younger Finns to take action and work with the
Chamber.
“The youth is the future, and I want to let
them know the chamber exists to support them.”
Working with both young and adults from
different business fields, Emilia must be prepared
to adjust her mind set and focus constantly. Her
background has already given her the blessing
of being versatile, but she is happy to keep
developing this quality. Of all things she is most
happy about the great help she always finds in
the Finnish community in Hong Kong.
8 ScandAsia.China • April 2016
“Our community is the best thing! Since I
came here as the new girl in town, I have met
great support not only from the board members,
but from the whole community in general. We
have limited resources being a small chamber, but
our members are so active, and that’s the reason
behind our success.”
One-way ticket
Emilia has literary been around the world; from
Europe to United States and now Asia. She was
born in Stockholm and studied in San Diego
before coming to Hong Kong. But how come
FinnCham chose a woman who never lived in
Finland to present their country in Southeast
Asia? Emilia has asked this question herself many
times, but she thinks she has found the answer.
Since she was little her family had been on
the go, always looking for the next adventure.
A home address never remained constant for
the Tavakoli’s, but one thing for sure did: their
love for the Finnish culture. Emilia spent all of
her summers and Christmases with her Finnish
family in both Sweden and Finland. She and her
parents cooked Finnish dishes and spoke their
native language wherever they were in the world.
In 2013 Emilia found herself working
as a qualified lawyer in estate planning law in
California, and was bored. Influenced by her
parents’ traveling lifestyle, the time had come for
Emilia, too, to look for the next journey. For a long
time, she had been dreaming of going to Asia.
“I needed to be in a city with a pulse and
excitement”.
She already had an idea where she would
find it.
“There was just something about Hong Kong
that fascinated me. I wanted to go and see one of
the most growing and vibrant cities in the world
with a culture I was not familiar with yet. I just
had to go.”
As a modern nomad, she packed her bag
and bought a one-way-ticket to Hong Kong in
July 2013..
Here she knew no-one, but the lively can-dospirit
of Emilia suddenly found herself mingling in
Finnish community networking events in Hong
Kong. She found out that a job position was open
as ED at Finncham and when she learned more
details about the position, she had no doubt: “This
position was tailored to me. Completely.”
She took the chance and applied for the job.
“I was not sure if they would accept a non-
Finn to be the face of the Finnish community.”
Just like Emilia was ready for a change and a
challenge, so was FinnCham. The job was hers.
Challenge accepted
She was welcomed to the chamber with an
assignment more challenging than she could think

of, but Emilia was ready to jump in. Two months
later, she found herself organizing the Finnish
Independence day, the biggest annual event of
the year, as the new Executive Director of Finnish
Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.
“Don’t ever settle in your comfort zone. I
believe it’s healthy to challenge yourself, no matter
what.”
After two and a half years’ experience of
organizing events, Emilia is ready to host some of
the grandest events in the history of the chamber
coming up later in 2016 and 2017.
Finnish focus
Emilia has experienced an increasing Chinese
interest to focus on Finland since she took over
the helm at Finncham.
“There are four strong trends right now:
Finnish education, food, fashion and lifestyle
products. China has fallen in love with Finnish
berries, Marimekko and other fashion brands, and
especially Finnish way of education.”
Emilia is already arranging a conference on
the latter, where Finnish companies will promote
educational products to Chinese parents and
schools;
“The education in Hong Kong and China
tends to be heavily focused on memorization and
long hours of studying, while Finnish education
is focused on creativity, play time, innovation,
and twenty-first century skills that will allow
the students to prosper when they enter the
workforce. Finland also has excellent PISA test
results, which has created interest from Asia into
how these results were achieved in Finland.”
This Finnish Education Conference is a way
to foster dialogue, learn from each other, and
showcase something Finland is truly excellent at.
A local Hong Kong TV station will make a
documentary about the Finnish education system
and will attend the Finnish Chamber’s conference
together with a local Hong Kong radio and other
media.
The relationship between Finland and China
are blooming. Emilia experiences how the amount
of interest from Finland is growing, and how
corporate members help Finnish companies to
China. At the same time, China is becoming more
interested in Finnish products, lifestyle and culture.
Even the Finnish moomin trolls are now playing in
Chinese theatres, and the popular Finnish “Angry
Birds” is coming out with an animated movie this
spring.
Girl on the go
Her Finnish career in Hong Kong happened “at
the right time and the right place” according to
Emilia.
Emilia never regretted coming to Asia. Since
arriving to Hong Kong, she has not been visiting
Finland, but the Finnish community has made her
feel like at home. She is very happy about her
position at the Finnish Chamber. At the moment,
she adds.
“No person should stay in this position for
more than three years. I think the dedication to
promote one’s country will always be there, and
for me I will always be involved with the chamber
no matter what. But I think after three years you
have to begin a new chapter to get fresh ideas and
keep yourself motivated.”
Always looking for the next adventure, Emilia
has already an idea for “what’s next”, which will
unlikely her past; she is considering to stay on.
“I will not stay in Hong Kong forever, but
when I finish working for the chamber I would
love to put an effort in real estate here.”
Her ideal is to have a base in Hong Kong, and
a little cottage in Finland to spend the summers.
“And also a couple of homes in other parts
of the world!”
“I am excited about the next adventure to
come, but right now, Hong Kong is the perfect
place for me to be.”
No matter where in the world she will be, she
will always feel Finnish by heart.
April 2016 • ScandAsia.China 9

How to
pick a school
How do you pick the perfect school for your
children, when you move to another country?
It might not be as easy as it sounds. During the
years, more and more schools are established,
and each institution offers different courses and
has different ways of teaching. Many parents use social platforms
like Facebook to get advices from other parents. But there will
probably be no way around making your own inquiry into each
avaible option.
Local v s international
Are you looking for a local or an international school? In most
countries in Asia, it is possible to sign your child into a local school
– but it can be a challenge, if your child does not have Asian roots.
Local schools provide your child with a local environment
and another benefit is that most of the local schools are more
affordable than the international schools. One thing to be aware
of though, is that psysical punishment has not been abolished in
many Asian school systems.
If you go for an international school, consider that international
students grow up in an environment that is much different to
that of your own. Known as Third Culture Kids (TCKs), they often
develop a different attitude.
Once this is said, many expat families decide to go for the
international school – at least through primary school up to
grade 9.
A few suggestions
As said before, many parents seek advices from other parents.
But in the end, it is your choice and only you know what needs
your child has.
Copyright : anatols / 123RF Stock Photo
First: Observe
Visit the schools you are interested in during a regular school
day. Ask to observe teachers in class so you can get a feel for
how the adults treat the children, parents and one another. You
don’t have to be an expert to get a good sense of what is — or
is not — happening in a classroom when you visit.
10 ScandAsia.China • April 2016

Copyright : petro / 123RF Stock Photo
Second: Distance
Make sure the school is not too far away from your home. Have in mind
that in most big cities, it is travelling time between your house and the
school that matters. Will you be driving your child to school yourself or
how will your child be going there?
Especially in cities like Bangkok, the traffic is hectic and you can easily
use hours stuck between cars, taxies and tuk-tuks.
Third: Reputation
Use your network in the city. Ask as many as possible, what their
experience with this school is. Do not listen to people, who have no
children at the school themselves.
Fourth: Courses
The school’s courses and programs will most likely be listed in the
school’s informations packages or on their website. They will talk
about British Curriculum and American Curriculum and what most
Scandinavians go for these days is the IB Curriculum.
The IB Curriculum is an educational programme managed by the
International Baccalaureate for students aged 3 to 12. Students are
required to learn a second language during the programme.
Fifth: Supplementary courses
More and more parents find it important that their children are receiving
lessons in their mother language. On some of the international schools,
the different Scandinavian communities have organized mother tounge
language lessons as a supplementary course.
It depends on your child. Many children already have a long day in
school with lessons in Thai, English and other courses.
Stay involved
As a parent you might wish there were some secret education-analyst
methodology. No matter how hard you do your homework, stay involved
with your child’s everyday life. Is your child happy and motivated or tired
and introverted? Talk with your child about how school is and spend
more time together in the beginning. First period will probably be as
exhausting for your child as for you – starting up your lives in a completely
different country.
Copyright : Dmitriy Shironosov / 123RF Stock Photo
April 2016 • ScandAsia.China 11

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ScanAsia_ April 2016.indd 1 17/03/16 12.09
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International School of Bergen (ISB) is situated
on the west coast of Norway and offers an
English language learning environment to
students between the ages of 3 and 16.
Our mission is to provide an internationally
accredited education serving the business and
Bergen communities.
The educational programme of ISB has been
developed to help prepare its students for a
successful future. The school is accredited by the
Council of International Schools and the New
England Association of Schools and Colleges in
addition to being authorized by the International
Baccalaureate Organization to offer their Primary
Years and Middle Years programmes.
Our students and staff
All teachers hold university degrees and
appropriate teaching qualifications. Classes
are small. With students and staff representing
more than thirty different nationalities, we pride
ourselves in having a welcoming and including
community.
ISB was founded in 1975, giving us 40 years of
experience as an educational institution.
International School of Bergen
Vilhelm Bjerknesvei 15, 5081 Bergen, Norway
Phone: +4755306330
Website: www.isob.no || E-mail: post@isob.no
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• Sentral beliggenhet med bybanestopp rett utenfor døren
For mer informasjon: www.isob.no eller post@isob.no
12 ScandAsia.China • April 2016

From Concept to Creation:
The International
Baccalaureate Middle Years
Programme Personal Project
Wonderful things happen
when 15 and 16 year olds
take on a challenge that
interests them. Students
realize that when they set
their mind to it, they can do so much more than
they thought. They delve deep into research
and understand that some information out
there is more useful than others. They learn
numerous valuable skills and learn much more
about themselves.
The Personal Project is a significant capstone
project celebrating the final year of the IB Middle
Years Programme. Students choose to create
something, or achieve something in an area they
are passionate about. They choose their own
topic. The important part of the Personal Project
is actually the process: starting with an idea,
refining it into a goal, planning, doing research,
carrying out the work and reflecting on it all.
This year’s projects at KIS International
School in Bangkok included a wide spectrum of
interests including designing a humanoid robot,
making a flowboard, learning to play the violin,
creating an album with piano music composed
by the student, creating an Ibook about the
development of surgery, investigating applications
of nanotechnology, examining how people’s eyes
change with different emotions, and designing a
space suit.
Throughout the Personal Project students
hone their research, self-management, thinking,
communication and social skills.
Once the project is complete the students
share their product and learning experiences in
an exhibition. Visitors have the opportunity to
ask the students questions and learn about their
journey. Students gain confidence in presenting
and welcome the feedback given by others. The
final part of the personal project is writing a
report.
Many of the students use the personal project
to find out if certain fields of study or careers
would be suitable for them. One KIS student for
example created an architectural model of an
environmentally friendly house, enabling him to
have a glimpse of the kind of work an architect
would do, not just by creating the house but also
by speaking with experts in the field and using
software that architects use.
Another student wanted to use the project
as an opportunity to do something creative and
artistic before embarking on a career in sciences.
She chose to create a large work of mosaic art.
Annette Lillethun, from Norway, says of her
Personal Project: “Although the personal project
was challenging, we all showed persistence and
excitement through the process which can be seen
in the variety of final products we created this
year”.
Though the project requires a lot of work,
students appreciate the opportunity to do (within
reason) what they like to do, share it with others,
and then be graded on it. As one KIS student
said of the project :”Inspire yourself and inspire
others”.
This year’s KIS Personal Project presentations can be found on Youtube:
Group 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f656l4PhZww
Group 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ5FPB40jmA
Group 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZQkPMc5iB4
KIS International School is a full IB school in Bangkok, Thailand. www.kis.ac.th, admissions@kis.ac.th, tel +662 2743444.
April 2016 • ScandAsia.China 13

News Brief
Finavia and Swedavia enter sister airport
relationship with Chinese operator
Finavia Corporation and Swedavia have
both signed a MoU on the ‘Establishment
of a sister airport relationship (MOU)’ with
Capital Airports Holding Company (CAH), the
largest airport operator in China; on 7 January
and 24 February 2016 respectively.
Currently, CAH owns or manages more
than 40 international and regional airports in 8
provinces (municipalities or autonomous region)
in China.
CAH’s collaboration with Finavia is described
as extensive, where the first action is a sister
airport agreement between Helsinki Airport
and the biggest airport in Asia, Beijing Capital
International Airport (with staff exchange
activities to begin in 2016).
The sisterhood strengthens the relationship
between the two countries and airports in
many ways. The objectives are benchmarking
best practices and sharing knowledge, creating
co-marketing activities in respective home
markets, and exchanging personnel and building
competence.
The MOU contributes to Helsinki Airport’s
target to be the number one transfer airport
for passengers flying between Europe and Asia.
Helsinki Airport is already the leading transfer
airport in Northern Europe for long-haul traffic
and it connects Europe and Asia with the
shortest route. In 2016, Helsinki Airport provides
connections to over 130 destinations, including 17
direct routes to Asia and further destinations to
almost all major European cities.
“We value high the establishment of sister
airport relationship with Finavia. We see Finavia as
one of the leading and most competent airport
groups. Helsinki Airport is a leading hub between
China and Europe due to the shorter flying
distance and MCT (Minimum connecting time), as
well as its first class performance in safety, security
and customer service. We look forward to our
cooperation,” said Mr. Liu Xuesong, President
and CEO of CAH, Chairman of Beijing Capital
International Airport Co. Ltd. (BCIA).
“Cooperation with the largest airport
operator in China is no doubt a remarkable
milestone for us. It will contribute to the
attractiveness of both operators’ airports and to
the development opportunities of the Finland-
China routes. For Helsinki Airport, it represents
an outstanding opportunity to develop
a competitive edge regarding the Asian and
especially the Chinese market in comparison to
other airports in Northern Europe,” says Mr. Kari
Savolainen, CEO of Finavia Corporation.
“The smooth air bridge between Europe
and Asia brings foreign tourists to Finland
where tourism has significant growth potential.
According to statistics recently published by the
Finnish Hospitality Association, the number of
Asian tourists in Finland is currently increasing. For
instance, the number of Chinese visitors staying
overnight has increased substantially,” Savolainen
says.
Helsinki Airport is going through an extensive
development programme worth EUR 900 million,
during which Finavia will produce completely new
services while integrating digitalization into the
renewed customer experience through the use
of the latest technologies.
The Swedish airport operator’s similar
sisterhood with CAH is also with Beijing Capital
International Airport, sharing knowledge and best
practices.
Swedavia is a world leader in developing
airports with the least possible environmental
impact.
“Swedavia is a world leading airport group,
and Stockholm Arlanda Airport under its
management is a major European aviation hub
connecting to the China market. Capital Airports
Holding Company attaches great importance
to the sister airport relationship with Swedavia,
and CAH is willing to learn the rich experiences
of green airport, sustainable development and
airport management from the counterpart. The
two sides will bring closer ties, enhance mutual
trust and deepen friendship to open a new
chapter for future cooperation,” says Mr. Liu
Xuesong, President & CEO at CAH.
“We are looking forward to extend our
already strong connections with China. It will
give great opportunity for increased connectivity
between our countries in both business and leisure
traveling. As environmental industry leaders we
are hoping to be able to share best practices
from our work on how to become a sustainable
airport. It will also be beneficial for Arlanda to get
Beijing Capital International Airport’s insights on
airport infrastructure and a competitive airport
city development,” says mr Karl Wistrand, Group
CEO at state-owned Swedavia.
Stockholm Arlanda Airport is the only Nordic
airport being served by a Chinese carrier; Air
China. In 2013 the airline celebrated their 25-
Year Anniversary at Arlanda, and the now daily
route has led to strong connections and good
relations between China and Sweden over the
years. The passenger numbers between Beijing
and Stockholm have grown ten times faster than
other international passenger growth at Arlanda
during the last 15 years. In September last year
the Scandinavian airline SAS also inaugurated a
direct route to Hong Kong from Stockholm. In
conjunction with this Swedavia established an
office in Hong Kong in order to stimulate the
Asian market.
Arlanda is the fastest growing airport in
Scandinavia setting a record for the fifth
consecutive year by 23 million passengers in 2015.
On the Beijing-Stockholm route leisure travelling
is rapidly growing; the number of Chinese visitors
to Sweden increased by 28 percent in 2015.
To welcome the Chinese visitors, Arlanda is
a Chinese Friendly Airport with for example
Chinese traffic signs, airport hosts, a Chinese web
site and commercially adapted offers.
Offering the most competitive airport costs
in the Nordics is the latest in a number of steps
taken to become the leading airport in Scandinavia
by 2020. In addition to the development at the
airport, a new Airport city with hotels and office
buildings are starting to take shape. The next step
in this development phase is the establishment of
the office complex Sky City Office One.
14 ScandAsia.China • April 2016

April 2016 • ScandAsia.China 15

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