Finland, Switzerland apt models for research, innovation

In three months, President Xi Jinping has traveled to Europe twice. Following his trip to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum and a state visit to Switzerland in January, Xi reached Finland on Tuesday before flying to the United States for his first meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Xi has used his overseas trips to deliver messages on how China views the world and the global economy at a time when populism and protectionism seem to be gathering strength. Xi used his Switzerland visit, and will now use his Finland trip to express China's views that all global players, including the European Union and the US, should fulfill their due responsibilities to build a prosperous and peaceful world, instead of telling China what its global duties are. Besides, Switzerland and Finland can also help China strengthen its domestic program for innovation.

Last year, China announced a three-step plan to encourage and improve innovation. First, by 2020, China aims to increase its spending on research and development to 2.5 percent of GDP and ensure its knowledge-intensive service industry accounts for 20 percent of the economy.