"The Icelandic tech industry is quite diversified, as you can see from Iceland´s participation in this year´s China Hi-Tech Fair," said Mr. Gunnar Snorri Gunnarsson, ambassador of Iceland to China.
Mr. Gunnar Snorri Gunnarsson, ambassador of Iceland to China.
Men & Mice and Rosamosi, two Icelandic companies, are making their debut at this year's China Hi-Tech Fair. Men & Mice (www.menandmince.com) is an established hi-tech company in the DNS, DHCP and IP address management (DDI) business. The company develops a range of products aimed at making networks more visible, manageable, resilient and safe.
Rosamosi (www.mussila.com) is a leading developer of educational applications and games. Mussila, its most recent gaming app, has been well-received by hundreds of thousands of users worldwide.
As a highly developed, open and green economy, Iceland always gives priority to unrestrained international trade in its pursuit of economic development. It also has a long tradition of fishing, and its seafood industry has always played an integral role in its economic development. Tourism in the country has been an emerging and fast-growing industry in recent years, and it is now the largest export sector. As the world's largest electricity producer per capita, all the country's electrical power is produced from clean, green and sustainable energy sources such as geothermal and hydro. In recent years, low electricity costs and a naturally cooling environment have made Iceland a top choice for companies looking to establish data-hosting centers. Research, development and innovation are becoming more and more important to Iceland's economic development. Many of the most prominent hi-tech companies offer technological solutions tailored to Iceland's traditional sectors of fishing, tourism and green energy development. The fast-growing Icelandic tech companies within the tourism and gaming sectors have been an integral part of Iceland’s economy for a long time.
Although this is the first time Iceland has participated in the China Hi-Tech Fair, its cooperation with the China Hi-Tech Fair organizing committee has been going on for more than a year. Earlier this year, the China Hi-Tech Fair, in cooperation with Icelandic institutions, successfully held a forum in Iceland, allowing more than 80 representatives of Chinese technology companies to meet their Icelandic counterparts.
The China Hi-Tech Fair holds a forum in Iceland in May 2018
According to Mr. Gunnar Snorri Gunnarsson, Iceland and China enjoy friendly and cooperative relationships across a wide range of sectors. Iceland was the first European country to conclude a free trade agreement with China in 2013. The bilateral trade between the two countries has grown steadily in recent years. The two countries are also tied via extensive collaborations in Arctic affairs. For example, the new Iceland-China Arctic Research Station was launched in Iceland last month. In terms of green energy and geothermal exploration, Iceland and China have been enjoying long-standing collaboration. Some of the world's largest geothermal heating projects have been jointly developed by the two countries.
"Iceland is currently working on updating its national innovation policy, which is expected to be completed early next year. We will then be able to seek out direct overlaps and synergies between Icelandic and Chinese innovation and technology policies and thus seek out cooperation opportunities. And it is certainly my hope that the China Hi-Tech Fair will continue to play a key role in our cooperation with China in innovation and high technology," added the ambassador.