Deepening of Sino-Finnish ties stressed

President Xi Jinping called on Tuesday for Finland to work with China to firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order underpinned by international law to jointly respond to global challenges, while deepening bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation.

Xi made the remarks during his meeting with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Orpo kicked off a four-day official visit to China on Sunday. Premier Li Qiang hosted a welcoming ceremony for the Finnish prime minister on Tuesday and held official talks with him. They witnessed the signing of multiple cooperation documents in the fields of science and technology, economy and trade, energy, customs and cultural tourism.

Xi pointed out that today's world faces multiple risks and challenges and the international community needs to work together to address them. Major countries, in particular, should lead by example in promoting equality, observing the rule of law, pursuing cooperation and upholding integrity, he said.

Xi expressed China's willingness to work with Finland to jointly tackle global challenges and promote an equitable and orderly multipolar world, as well as universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.

He emphasized that China and Europe are partners instead of rivals, and cooperation between the two sides outweighs competition and their common ground outweighs differences. It is hoped that Finland will play a constructive role in promoting the healthy and stable development of China-Europe relations, he said.

Xi commended the steady development of bilateral ties, saying that over the 76 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Finland have adhered to mutual respect, equality, a future-oriented approach and win-win cooperation.

He underlined the need for both countries to enhance mutual trust, strengthen exchanges and deepen cooperation to contribute to their own development and deliver more benefits to their peoples.

Xi reaffirmed the country's commitment to promoting high-quality development and expanding high-standard opening-up, and called for more collaborative outcomes in areas such as energy transition, circular economy, agriculture and forestry, and technological innovation.

Finnish companies are welcome to "take a swim in the vast ocean of the Chinese market" to enhance their global competitiveness, he said, adding that the two countries should strengthen exchanges and cooperation in winter sports, and more Finnish people are welcome to visit China and experience its blend of ancient heritage and modern vitality.

Orpo is the second EU country leader to visit China within three weeks, as several world leaders, including Taoiseach, or prime minister, of Ireland Micheal Martin and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, have visited China in the first month of the new year to engage with Chinese leaders for bilateral cooperation as well as exchanging views on international affairs amid growing global uncertainties.

During the meeting with Xi, Orpo hailed the profound traditional friendship between Finland and China, saying that Finnish enterprises have a strong interest in coming to China for cooperation.

Finland is willing to work with China to deepen pragmatic cooperation in trade, investment, the digital economy, clean energy and agriculture to enhance the well-being of both peoples, he said.

While emphasizing that Finland firmly adheres to the one-China policy, Orpo said that Finland admires China's outstanding achievements in development and appreciates its significant and constructive role in international affairs.

Finland is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China to jointly safeguard world peace and stability, he said.

Noting that the sound development of Europe-China relations is very important, Orpo said that Finland advocates Europe's strategic autonomy and supports free trade.

Finland is willing to play a positive role in helping properly resolve trade frictions between Europe and China and promote the healthy development of their ties, he added.

Finland is China's third-largest trading partner in the Nordic region. For several consecutive years, China has been Finland's largest trading partner in Asia. Bilateral trade amounted to $8.2 billion in 2024, according to statistics from the General Administration of Customs.

When Xi made a state visit to Finland in April 2017, the two countries declared the promotion of a future-oriented new-type cooperative partnership.

In talks with Orpo, Premier Li said that with the global economy currently under strain, China and Finland should work together to uphold an international economic and trade order featuring openness and cooperation.

He called on both countries to adhere to multilateralism and free trade, and uphold the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core.

Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, China's top legislative body, also met with Orpo on Tuesday in Beijing.

He said that the NPC is willing to deepen exchange and cooperation with the Finnish parliament to facilitate mutual learning of experience in legislation, supervision and state governance and provide legal guarantee for pragmatic cooperation in various fields.

Finnish industry representatives have highlighted the importance of deepening economic and business engagement with China. Amid a complex international environment, regular exchanges between the European Union and China remain essential for sustaining cooperation and mutual confidence, Timo Vuori, director for international trade at the Confederation of Finnish Industries, was quoted as saying by Xinhua News Agency.

He said that China's technological strengths in many sectors make it an important market for Finnish companies seeking to enhance their global competitiveness. If a Finnish company is successful in China, it will also flourish in other markets, he added.