Estonia welcomes Belt and Road Initiative: investment adviser

TALLINN - Estonia welcomes the Belt and Road Initiative which has been fruitful for this Baltic country, an investment adviser with the Estonian Investment Agency said on Monday.

"We already get more attention from China ... because this Initiative has been very fruitful for us," Kaspar Kork told Xinhua on the sidelines of the "Estonia Business Forum Celebrating Chinese New Year in Tallinn".

"We really welcome this Initiative. We really like it, because China is a big country. There is a lot to learn, and cooperation with this country, I think, is important," he said.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa based on ancient land and maritime trade routes.

"Estonia also sees cooperation between Asian countries and European countries is very important. So, all that kind of seminars and delegation events is very important for us to show Estonian companies and also learn more about Chinese companies," Kork said.

Tallinn Deputy Mayor Aivar Riisalu, who delivered a speech at the Business Forum, told Xinhua that economic ties between Estonia and China is very important, because Estonia needs strong and big partners and the new market for Estonians is China.

Both Riisalu said Tallinn, as the capital of Estonia and the country's economic engine, welcomes foreign investors and international companies, while Estonia serves as an excellent gateway for China to enter the larger market of the European Union.

Mait Palts, director general of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, "Sectors related to smart technologies, energy efficiency, new materials or telecommunication could be the areas where the potential for stronger relations is clearly the highest."

Wu Yan, economic and commercial counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Estonia, highlighted the potential of China-Estonia cooperation over technology innovations including digital cooperation and e-commerce under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the "16+1" cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries.