Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo arrived in Beijing on Sunday for a four-day official visit to China, along with executives from more than 20 Finnish companies, spanning Finland’s strengths in machinery, forestry, innovation, clean energy and food. Chinese experts said China-Finland relations demonstrate a strong role model for China-Europe ties amid a changing international landscape where “the law of the jungle” is increasingly prominent.
As British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are reported to also visit China in the future, the recent intensive China visits by European leaders, also reflect an adjustment in Europe’s foreign policy from traditional ideology or values-based diplomacy to a pragmatic and multilateral foreign orientation. However, such an adjustment needs more than simply “showing gestures,” experts noted.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with the Finnish prime minister during the visit, while Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Chairman of China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee Zhao Leji will hold talks and meet with Orpo, respectively, to conduct in-depth exchanges of views on bilateral relations and issues of common concern.
