Finland’s PM says Europe is too dependent on China for technologies

Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin @MarinSanna said on Thursday that Europe is currently overly dependent on China for technologies and should be cautious of this dependence.

Speaking at Slush, an annual startup event in Helsinki, Marin said, “Let’s be honest, we have vulnerabilities already. We see it when we look at chips or semiconductors, we are too dependent.” According to Marin, Europe needs to learn from its reliance on Russian energy that led to the ongoing energy crisis in Europe, as well as the lack of medical supplies seen during the COVID pandemic.

Marin said, “We have to make sure that we have the capabilities and the knowledge to build these technologies and not be dependent on China and other authoritarian countries that have a different logic than democratic countries have.” Marin urged Europe to invest more in its own technological development, such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

She stated, “I really worry about this technology part because I fear we are making the same mistakes with technology and digital solutions and also raw materials we need to build these technologies.”