On 22 October, Opening Ceremony of Finland Campus of HEBUT 2021 was held simultaneously in Lappeenranta and Lahti, with Counsellor You Yi, First Secretary Sun Hongzhi, Second Secretary Zheng Lin of the Cutural and Education Section of the Chinese Embassy in Finland, Satu Sikanen, District Governor of Etela-Karjala, Martin, Director of the Department of Local Asian Affairs, Kimmo Jarva, Mayor of Lappeenranta, Juha-Matti Saksa, President of LUT University, and Ma Guowei, Vice President of Hebei University of Technology, Chen Hongyan, Secretary of the Party Committee of the International Education Institution and Director of International Cooperation and Exchange, Shi Kengshan, Dean of the School of International Education, and Li Zirui, Executive Principal of the Finland Campus, attended the ceremony to celebrate the opening of the first students of the Finland Campus in Finland. The ceremony was hosted by Janne Hokkanen, Head of Department of Development and Planning at LUT University.

President of LUT University, Juha-Matti Saksa said that in 2019, LUT University finally selected Hebei University of Technology as its partner in China after an in-depth analysis. The cooperation between the two parties in building the Finland campus has created a new model of international exchange and cooperation between universities. Finland is a safe, green and happy country, and the Finland campus is open to students from all over the world, where they will be able to exchange and study with teachers and students from many countries. In addition, students at the Finland campus can enjoy the high quality of education in both countries and graduate with degrees from both LUT and HEBUT, making them more competitive in their future career choices.

Ma Guowei, Vice President of Hebei University of Technology, said that LUT University is one of the three most prestigious science and technology universities in Finland and one of the most important global partners of Hebei University of Technology. In 2019, the two universities collaborated to build the Finland Campus for students from all over the world, with Chinese students, EU students and students from other countries each accounting for 1/3 of the total number of students. HEBUT welcomes international students of the Finland Campus to come to China to experience the long and splendid culture of China and to witness its rapid development.

You Yi, Counsellor of the Cutural and Education Section of the Chinese Embassy in Finland extended a warm welcome to the students of the Finland Campus. You Yi said that China and Finland have developed exchanges and cooperation at various levels in the field of education, and that the Finland Campus of HEBUT has opened a new mode of cooperation at the higher education level, which is a new fruit of the Sino-Finnish educational cooperation. For the Chinese students of the Finland Campus, they not only have to make full use of the educational advantages of China and Finland to learn professional knowledge, but also play a role as ambassadors of cultural exchange, learning about Finnish culture and introducing Chinese culture to their Finnish teachers and classmates at the same time.

On behalf of the government of Etela-Karjala, Satu Sikanen, District Governor of Etela-Karjala, extended a warm welcome to the students of the Finland Campus. Three years ago, Vice President of HEBUT Ma Guowei led a delegation to visit, and three years later, we are here for the Opening Ceremony of the first students of the Finland Campus, which is a historic moment and thus shows that the cooperation between LUT University and Hebei University of Technology has been very successful, especially at a time when the epidemic is still not over. The establishment of the Finland Campus has played a positive role in the economic, social and multicultural development of the Etela-Karjala district. We hope that the students will enjoy their studies and life here and experience the warmth and friendliness of the Finnish people, and that the Etela-Karjala government will actively support the construction and development of the Finland Campus.

On behalf of the Lappeenranta, the Mayor of Lappeenranta, Kimmo Jarva, extended a warm welcome to the students of the Finland Campus. LUT University is one of Finland's top technical universities, which is committed to solving problems such as curbing climate change, clean water availability and a sustainable energy supply, providing ideas for the development and construction of cities and businesses. The construction of the Finland Campus further enhances the internationalisation of LUT University and the Lappeenranta, and we hope that the students will enjoy studying and living here, exchanging and learning from each other and bursting with endless creativity.

Since August 2021, HEBUT and LUT University have joined forces with the relevant departments of the two regions to work together efficiently and effectively to ensure the smooth enrolment of the first students of the Finland Campus from 22 countries and regions under the background of the epidemic prevention. In the two months, the students have quickly adapted to their life and studies in Finland under the care and guidance of their student counsellors, teachers and leaders. A new journey is waiting for you. We hope that the students will work hard and live up to their youth. The future of the Finland Campus must be promising!