China, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Forum, Good for Business, Technology, Transport
International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics
Friday, 29.03.2024, 06:06
PM: increased flow of goods from China through Estonia would stimulate transit
Photo: valitsus.ee |
"I can
clearly see a win-win here. Transit would grow in Estonia and a new road to the
Nordic market would be opened for China," said Ratas according to
spokespeople.
The prime minister of Estonia said that the greatest
potential for cooperation lies with the province of Jilin, a rapidly developing
heavy industry region in Northeast China. The Jilin region is home to the
factories of automobile manufacturers such as Volvo, Volkswagen and BMW, with
the Daimler factory being located somewhat further away, in the vicinity of
Beijing.
"The Changchun-Tallinn railway corridor would
open the way for Chinese goods to Nordic markets, as well as Northern Germany,
and the St. Petersburg and Moscow regions, where the automotive industry has a
larger presence. In Estonia, the flow of goods along the One Belt and One Road
initiative could take place via the Koidula checkpoint and the Port of
Muuga," Ratas said.
According to the prime minister, Estonia's advantage
when it comes to serving as a node and distribution center for the carriage of
goods is the availability of free land for the construction of terminals, digital
administration allowing for the seamless organisation of work, a low level of
corruption, and a highly qualified labor force.
"The first fruits of Estonian-Chinese cooperation
can already be seen in the Post11 parcel distribution center, located in the
vicinity of Tallinn. The joint Chinese-Estonian company currently holds 10
percent of the Russian e-commerce market. The first steps towards closer
economic cooperation have been taken, and work must now continue, since
untapped opportunities remain," Ratas said.
The prime minister of Estonia and Minister of
Entrepreneurship and Information Technology Urve Palo took part in the annual
16+1 summit of 11 European Union member states, five Western Balkan countries,
and China, the 2017 edition of which took place this year in Budapest. A
business forum was held at the same time, in which a business delegation from
Estonia took part with the aim of strengthening possibilities for business and
cooperation with China.
The Estonian business delegation included
representatives from the Estonia Pianos,
EVR Cargo AS, Pagaripoisid OU, Sillamae Sadam, and Eesti Energia AS. The visit by undertakings was organized by
Enterprise Estonia.
The prime minister of Estonia met separately on the
fringes of the annual 16+1 summit with his Hungarian colleague Victor Orban, Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabic, and Prime Minister of
Montenegro Dusko Markovic.