Chinese firms to visit Tampere in October and at Slush Week after CIFIT delegation

Business Tampere reported that a September visit to China, including the China International Fair for Investment and Trade in Xiamen and follow-up events in Shanghai, produced concrete inbound investment interest and outbound market opportunities for companies in the Tampere region. The trip generated specific leads, not just exposure.

The delegation travelled as part of a Finnish business group led by Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto and included Business Tampere CEO Harri Ojala and Senior Business Advisor Yi Tang. A leading Chinese electrification company will visit Tampere in mid-October to explore the local ecosystem and potential cooperation, and a separate delegation of Shanghai companies is expected during Slush Week 2026, with representatives from a major Shanghai healthcare group among them.

Chinese interest in battery technology and robotics is growing, and those sectors show strong commercial potential. Organisers say the China Week presence and media exposure in China raised Tampere’s visibility and helped generate concrete market leads.

To help local firms follow up, Business Tampere is steering companies toward Leap4Growth, a project that supports Tampere-region SMEs exploring markets and partnerships in the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Greater Bay Area. The programme offers market insight, local networks and practical support aimed at finding genuine commercial fit rather than simply encouraging market entry. The Leap4Growth project previously mapped concrete market-entry pathways for Tampere SMEs to the region earlier this year.

The visit highlighted that the China–Finland relationship now runs both ways: Chinese firms are scouting Finland for investment and technology, while Finnish companies continue to find customers and partners in China, opening pathways for longer-term collaboration and cross-border growth.