Finnish president kicks off China visit; trip to boost collaboration in sustainability, green initiatives

Finnish President Alexander Stubb kicked off his four-day state visit to China on Monday. Juha Tuominen, chairman of Finncham China Beijing, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Monday that the visit will definitely boost cooperation, including collaboration in sustainability, between Finnish and Chinese companies.

Stubb arrived in Beijing on Monday afternoon, which also marked the day of the 74th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, China Central Television reported. 

China and Finland have been steadily advancing their relations as the pair decided to establish a new type of future-oriented partnership in 2017, which was unique in China's foreign relations. 

Stubb will discuss bilateral relations as well as the war between Russia and Ukraine and other security issues, his office said in a statement, Reuters reported.

In recent years, in particular, China has made notable strides in green transformation and the digital economy, areas in which Finland hopes to draw lessons from China's experience, Wang Yiwei, a professor at the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Monday. 

As a country that has long prioritized green initiatives and climate change response, its policy focus aligns with China's proposal to develop new productive forces, thus creating significant opportunities for collaboration, Wang said.

The Finnish business community sees this state visit as an important signal on trade relations between the two countries, and "it will definitely boost cooperation between Finnish and Chinese companies as well," Tuominen said.

China remains an important market for Finnish companies, Tuominen said, noting that the collaboration in sustainability between Finnish and Chinese companies is an important area for both sides. 

Also, Finnish companies from other industries such as healthcare, digitalization and consumer products see the Chinese market as one of the important markets for international expansion, the chamber head said.

Stubb's visit is the first since Finland joined NATO in April last year, becoming the group's 31st member. While elaborating on whether the move will have an impact on China-Finland ties, Wang said China hopes Finland remains vigilant against the dangerous trend of an eastward expansion by the group, which undermines the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific. Helsinki is expected to play a unique role in this regard by engaging in more constructive dialogue with China and serving as a bridge to curb such a dangerous trend, he noted.