Swedish Ambassador Lars Fredn was in Tianjin for the Feb 10 inauguration ceremony of the 10th Ikea store in China. The first Ikea store in the country opened in Shanghai in 1998, and the company plans to have a total of 17 stores in China by 2015.

At the ceremony, Ikea representatives emphasized their commitment to energy efficiency and wider use of renewable energy, and explained how the store in Tianjin is using geothermal energy. The ambassador planted a symbolic tree at the site with Ren Xuefeng, the deputy mayor of Tianjin; Shang Delai, party secretary of Dongli district committee; and Gillian Drakeford, the retail manager of Ikea in China.

* * *

The embassy of Iceland in Beijing reports that Chinese students interested in studying language, history and literature in Reykjavik must apply for its government scholarships by March 1 (Iceland time).

The nation's Ministry of Education, Science and Culture awards a number of scholarships every year to foreign students, and applications for the 2012-2012 academic year must reach the Arni Magnsson Institute for Icelandic Studies by March 1. Decisions of the evaluation committee will be announced to the candidates by April.

Information and applications are available at www.arnastofnun.is.

* * *

The first-ever China-UK Better Business Dialogue was opened last week by British Ambassador Sebastian Wood and chaired by Wang Liwei of the Charitarian Group.

"The pursuit of prosperity and respect for people's rights are not mutually exclusive," Wood said on Tuesday. "The businesses that will succeed in our interconnected world are the ones that behave in a way that wins the trust of partners, clients, consumers and communities."

Delegates from the business world included representatives of leading Chinese, British and multi-national companies such as Unilever, the Shenhua Mining Group, Rolls Royce, the Taiaitai Group, Tesco, the Zhangxun Group, China Communication and Construction Group, Tongya Group and Bin Chen Bus Advertising Group.

In June 2011, all 47 members of the UN Human Rights Council, including China and the UK, endorsed Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. These principles set an authoritative global standard for how to prevent and remedy human rights abuses linked to business operations.

* * *

SAS, Scandinavian Airlines, will team up with Danish educational exchange programs to "find the top talents among Chinese engineering students", the Danish embassy website says. The five competition winners will be flown to Copenhagen to get a real life experience of studying, living and career opportunities in Denmark.

The four-day sponsored program is part of the SAS opening of its new direct route from Shanghai to Copenhagen.

The winners will visit Technical University of Denmark and Aalborg University Copenhagen to experience engineering studies in the capital. The talents will also meet with Danish companies with departments in China, such as A.P. Moller Maersk and Haldor Topsoe, to learn about career opportunities with them.

To enter the competition, students must log on at www.sinodanishnetwork.com to download a form and return it via e-mail by 10 am March 8. Five selected winners will go to Copenhagen from March 25-29.

* * *

China's San Francisco Consul General Gao Zhansheng accompanied Li Hongzhong, party secretary of the Communist Party of China's Hubei Province Committee, to attend Hubei Night last week at Silicon Valley. California Governor Jerry Brown, San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee and Oakland Mayor Jean Quan also attended the event. Officials from both countries said they were eager to boost cooperation between Hubei and California, and several agreements were signed.

* * *

A student granted a place of study in a Finnish educational institute may now submit an application for a residence permit electronically online, the embassy in Beijing has announced. In January Finland opened an electronic service that enables customers to submit an application and to follow the progress of its processing.

Even with an electronic account, applicants will need to visit a Finnish embassy or consulate closest to their place of residence in person to verify their identity and show original documents needed for their applications.

Send embassy news to michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 02/26/2012 page5)