The Baltic Sea Region has over the years been defined in several ways. The widest interpretation includes even Norway, Belarus and the Murmansk-area and counts some 100 million inhabitants!

Regardless of definition of the term tens of millions live around the shores and adjacent areas of the Baltic. CBBF focuses on the areas that the European Union defines as the South Baltic Area and the Central Baltic Area consisting of southern and eastern Sweden, southern Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Nortern Poland, Northeastern Germany and the Danish island Bornholm. However everyone with an interest in business between the Baltic Sea Region and the Yangtze River Delta Region are welcome.

There are many differences but also many similarities between the two regions – both the Baltic Sea Region and China has undergone huge changes during only a few decades. Millions have gone from poverty and very limited possibilities towards a much higher standard of living and substantially increased personal and economic freedom.

Very much are still to do but this is also where the core of the growth fenomenon lies – millions have increased possibilities to controltheir own future, creativity and the struggle for a better life are let loose and creates growth and prosperity. This process is similar in Europe and in China.

However the challenges are many and serious and also more or less similar in both areas – sustainable groth requires that we can have as much focus on environmental and social issues as on economy and business. These challenges are far from being luxury problems they are questions of survival.

The challenges admitedly contains serious threats but well handled the also contain increased possibilities – the demand for sustainable solutions is huge will increase tremendously in the coming years.