TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's representative to Finland Freddy Lim (林昶佐) became the first Asian diplomat to headline Finland's largest newspaper Friday (Oct. 31). Helsingin Sanomat (HS) featured Lim in its HS Visio column, emphasizing Taiwan-Finland collaboration against authoritarian neighbors.
The newspaper report titled "Taiwan's New Ambassador" described his attendance at Finnish band Korpiklaani's concert. Concertgoers remained unaware that Chthonic (閃靈樂團) lead singer, representing one of Asia's most significant metal bands, stood among them.
Lim identified leaders Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping as territorial expansionists, emphasizing democratic resilience needs. The feature explained China considers Taiwan a "renegade province" while Taiwan functions as independent democracy.
Lim believes Taiwan's misinformation-countering experience could help Finland prepare for Russian information warfare attacks. He warned about dangers from Finland's Chinese-owned telecom infrastructure, exploitable for China-Russia information exchange.