Representing the Happiest Country on Earth:

The FTCT is located on the 22nd floor of the Taipei World Trade Center, with a clear view of Taipei 101. Three kegs of well-known Finnish beers and a doll of the character Moomintroll, created 80 years ago by Finnish author and illustrator Tove Jansson, decorate the reception area.

Connecting with music

Raunio comes from the country with the world’s highest per-capita concentration of heavy metal bands. He says that to a certain extent heavy metal music ­defines Finland, where its powerful melodies and fast-paced rhythms can always revitalize people who have to live through long, dark, freezing winter nights.

Raunio feels that the November F : F : F can help Finns, who already love heavy metal, better understand Taiwan.

“I think music and culture connect people. They help us understand different cultures and backgrounds at a deeper level.” When Raunio returned to Finland for his summer vacation in July of 2025, he joined Taiwan’s former representative to Finland, Janet H.C. Chang (now director-general of the Department of International Information Services at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), in attending a concert by the Kao­hsiung Chinese Orchestra, held during “Festival X” in the small city of Mikkeli (population 52,000).

Raunio says this was a rare opportunity for Finns to better understand Taiwan’s musical capabilities. He hopes that in future Finnish musical groups can come to perform in Taiwan, and that through more frequent exchanges the two sides can better understand each other, and Finns will pay greater attention to Taiwan.

The Kaohsiung Chinese Orchestra performed at Festival X in Finland, showcasing Taiwan’s musical capabilities. (courtesy of Kaohsiung Philharmonic Cultural and Arts Foundation)

The Finland Pavilion at the Energy Taiwan Exhibition 2022 displayed innovative energy solutions relevant to the pursuit of net-zero emissions by industries in Taiwan.

Direct flights

Raunio, who aims to encourage Taiwan–Finland interactions, notes that his proudest achievement has been in helping to bring about the signing of the Taiwan–­Finland Arrangement on Air Services. This is the first agreement on direct air links between Taiwan and any Nordic nation.

He points out that if direct flights proceed in the future, journeys from Taiwan to Finland could potentially take only ten hours, saving travelers a great deal of time. Moreover, transfers to short-haul flights at Helsinki Airport will facilitate visits by Taiwanese to other Nordic and Baltic Sea countries.

The number of Taiwanese travelers to Finland for business, vacations, or study is set to double or triple compared to years past. Raunio surmises that Taiwanese people have heard good things about Finland and they want to go there to see it for themselves.

Raunio shares Finland’s experience in promoting sustainable development at the 2024 Nordic–Taiwan Sustainable Energy Forum.

Technological collaboration

Raunio says: “Perhaps the biggest potential for cooperation [between Taiwan and Finland] lies in high technology.” Finland is not only home to Nokia, it also has strong capabilities in smart manufacturing, digitalization, microelectronics, and even quantum computing. It ranks among the top countries in the world for number of patents per capita. Wedding Taiwan’s powerful hardware manufacturing base to Finland’s software skills can create a win-win situation.

Raunio adds that while Taiwan is already a world leader in semiconductor and chip manufacturing, quantum computing can solve problems in dealing with complex models and large calculations. In this area, Finland already has an irreplaceable quantum computing ecosystem including chip design, applications of relevant algorithms and software, and cooling technology, making it a formidable global player.

Accordingly, quantum technology was the theme of both last year’s 11th and this year’s 12th Finland–Taiwan Business Forum. Quantum technology forums have been held in both countries, with each side dispatching strong rosters of industry, government, and academic representatives to discuss how to create more collaborative opportunities. Chang Hung-yi, an advisor to the FTCT, notes that with various collaborations already under way, the two countries are in fact already partners in quantum technology.

Raunio met with Pingtung County Magistrate Chou Chun-mi in 2024 with the aim of exploring opportunities for collaboration.

Representative Raunio visited Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (sixth from right) in 2025 to discuss issues including economics, trade, and industrial transformation.

Beautiful scenery, great people

While studying engineering at a Finnish university, Raunio spent time in Singapore as he worked on his thesis. After graduating, he worked for European engineering companies in China and Vietnam, and was involved in various projects across East and Southeast Asia. Having spent 20 years in Asia, he says there are many unique things about Taiwan, as well as commonalities with Finland.

“Taiwan, I find, is quite unique: You have beaches, mountains, modern cities, and nature, all packed into a relatively compact area. It’s very easy to go from the city to nature, to the mountains, to the sea, even down south to the tropical part with nice beaches. Even the weather is quite different: I can be in Taipei in December or January thinking, ‘Oh, it’s so cold,’ but then I take the high-speed train to maybe just Taichung, and it already feels like summer. In such a compact space you can really pack in all these different types of terrain and cities—from the rural East Coast to very modern metropolitan areas. And with excellent infrastructure, it’s easy, convenient, and affordable to travel between them. That’s very unique.”

Raunio is fond of mountain hiking, and he has discovered that there are many easily accessible, well-­maintained, and safe mountain trails in Taiwan. What stands out most to him, though, is that so many Taiwanese on these trails are cordial and friendly, greeting other hikers that pass by, which is something he hadn’t really seen too much in the places where he stayed before.

He observes that when hiking on weekends, the trails are packed with people of various ages who bring snacks and beverages and enjoy the beauties of nature at a leisurely pace. Finns are very similar.

Coming from a country with less than 6 million people but over 2 million saunas, he is asked whether he’s tried Taiwan’s saunas or hot springs. He replies with a laugh, half-apologetically: “I haven’t really tried the steam rooms or saunas here—Taiwan’s summer already feels like a hot steam room, so that’s enough for me,” adding that he hasn’t been to any hot springs either.

Raunio has visited local government chiefs in places such as Taoyuan (left) and Nantou (right) to discuss opportunities for collaboration. 

Marathon man

Raunio’s favorite outdoor activity is running. He favors running on Taipei’s riverside paths and can run at any time in any weather.

“Taiwan has something like the highest number of running races in the world per capita.” Raunio, who will run his fourth Taipei Marathon this December, is not a casual participant. He ran the Taipei Ultramarathon in February, winning first place in the men’s six-hour challenge by running 78.184 kilometers. He was also champion of the half-marathon group at the 2025 Taipei Olympic Day Run, organized by the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee in September.

He runs fast, but keeps a low profile. In 2023, Taiwan’s diplomatic ally Palau held its first ever international marathon, with the assistance of the Chinese Taipei Road Running Association. Raunio reached into his own pocket for the air fare to take part, and it was only after he won the full marathon that the organizers discovered that he is Finland’s representative in Taiwan.

Raunio won a bronze medal in the half-marathon at the 2025 World Masters Games, jointly hosted by Taipei and New Taipei.

The secret to happiness

Speaking of first-place finishes, Raunio relates with a smile that Finland has finished at the top of the rankings in the United Nations’ World Happiness Report for eight straight years. This doesn’t mean that Finns are constantly happy, but that daily needs are met on a fair and just basis with equitable distribution of resources. For example, whether rich or poor, all Finns enjoy equally outstanding educations. These seemingly simple factors are at the root of the happiness of the general public.

Finns are very direct in their speech, but traditionally most people’s impression of Finns is that they are reserved and introverted. Raunio explains: “We are reserved in the beginning. But we highly value things like honesty and integrity. So when you win a Finn to your side, they will stick with you for a very, very long time. You might not be able to make friends immediately, but once you invest the time and learn to know the people, then we make very loyal and trusted friends forever. But if you lose that trust, then it’s very difficult to re-establish.”

Speaking of honesty, Raunio feels this is something that Taiwan and Finland share in common. He has observed in the course of daily life in Taiwan that in coffee shops, many Taiwanese will leave expensive mobile phones at their tables to save their seats while they order. “This really showcases the trust in society: no one takes the expensive phone just because it’s left there. This kind of honesty is very important—and it’s a unique feature you can’t manage in many big cities.”

Speaking of coffee, Finland has the world’s highest per-capita consumption of this beverage. Raunio says that Taiwan also has many excellent coffee shops and bakeries. Although one cannot find in Taiwan the dark rye bread that Finns eat on a daily basis, Raunio says that in Taiwan he has many favorite local foods that never disappoint, such as dandan noodles, potstickers, scallion pancake beef rolls, and hot pot. Thus for him food has never been a problem.

As Raunio emphasizes, no matter where you go, the most important thing is to respect local culture. Looked at from a historical perspective, he says, every­thing, no matter how different, has its own logic and rationality. This spirit of exploring the detailed background to situations is part of the Finnish spirit of sisu and one of the secrets to happiness for Finns. 

Jussi Hellsten‭ / ‬City of Helsinki‭ ‬