China’s President Xi Jinping told Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo on Tuesday that Beijing stood ready to work with Helsinki to uphold a United Nations centred international system. He said the two countries could also help advance a multipolar world grounded in economic globalisation, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.
Xi added that China hoped Finland would play a constructive role in supporting the healthy and stable development of relations between China and the European Union. Xinhua reported that Beijing viewed Helsinki as an important partner in that effort.
Orpo’s visit to China comes at a time when European countries are reassessing their foreign policy options. U.S. President Donald Trump’s volatile policy decisions and confrontational stance towards allies have encouraged several European governments to diversify their international relationships.
Arctic Security And Global Attention
The timing of the visit also reflects rising concern over Arctic security. The issue drew significant attention at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week. Discussion intensified after Trump threatened to seize Greenland and to block China and Russia from expanding their influence in the region.
Although those threats appeared to ease after Trump said the United States had secured permanent access to the Danish territory, Arctic security remains a growing strategic concern. Finland, its NATO partners, and China all see the region as increasingly important.
The Arctic’s significance continues to rise as shrinking ice packs open faster shipping routes. These emerging routes could nearly halve transit times between Asia and Europe, reshaping global trade patterns.
Finland’s NATO Priorities
Speaking on the sidelines of the Davos meeting, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said he wanted NATO to agree on a dedicated Arctic security deal at its July summit. He compared the proposal to last year’s commitment by the alliance to sharply increase defence spending.
One third of Finland’s territory lies above the Arctic Circle. Meanwhile, China describes itself as a near Arctic state and has outlined ambitions to develop a so called Polar Silk Road as part of its broader economic vision.
Xi told Orpo that China was keen to deepen cooperation in areas such as energy transition, agriculture, and forestry. He also welcomed Finnish companies to expand their presence in what he described as the vast ocean of China’s market.
Bilateral Talks And Sensitive Issues
Orpo, who is visiting Beijing from January 25 to 28, said he looked forward to further discussions on bilateral cooperation and wider international issues. He referred to what he described as candid and constructive talks that Xi held with Finland’s president during a state visit to Beijing in 2024.
During his own meetings with Xi, Stubb raised concerns over a series of incidents involving damage to undersea power cables, gas pipelines, and telecommunications links. Chinese registered ships have been implicated in several cases, and a Chinese ship captain faces allegations of criminal damage in a Hong Kong court in one incident.
Stubb also raised North Korean support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which he said NATO and the European Union regarded as a provocation.
Orpo reiterated an invitation for Xi to visit Finland at a mutually convenient time. He also said that Finland’s speaker of parliament, Jussi Halla-aho, had invited China’s top lawmaker Zhao Leji to visit.
With inputs from Reuters
