The Ministry of Commerce of China File photo: VCG

As the first European country to sign an intergovernmental trade agreement with China, Finland is an important economic and trade partner of China in Europe and the two countries enjoy strong complementarity in areas such as green development and innovation, with vast potential for cooperation, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Thursday.

The remarks were made in response to a media query on Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's upcoming official visit to China from January 25 to 28, including questions on planned economic and trade activities during the visit, expected outcomes and assessments of the current state and future prospects of China-Finland economic and trade cooperation.

Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, the foundation of China-Finland economic and trade cooperation has been steadily strengthened, with cooperation areas continuously expanding, for a long time, the spokesperson said.

In 2025, bilateral trade exceeded $8 billion, while two-way investment stock surpassed $23 billion, with companies from both sides maintaining strong enthusiasm for deepening mutually beneficial cooperation.

It is learned that Finnish Prime Minister Orpo will be accompanied on the visit by executives from more than 20 Finnish companies, spanning Finland's strengths in machinery, forestry, innovation, clean energy and food, fully reflecting Finland's strong willingness to deepen bilateral economic and trade relations, the spokesperson said.

China attaches great importance to economic and trade cooperation with Finland and is working closely with the Finnish side to prepare for the sixth meeting of the China-Finland Committee for Innovative Business Cooperation, providing a valuable platform for companies from both countries to engage in dialogue and jointly explore cooperation opportunities. Chinese and Finnish companies have shown strong interest, with around 50 corporate representatives already registered to attend, the spokesperson said.

During the visit, MOFCOM will sign a memorandum of understanding on strengthening the work of the China-Finland Committee for Innovative Business Cooperation with the Finnish side, and companies from both countries will also sign a number of commercial cooperation agreements. All this fully demonstrates that the two countries have the willingness, confidence and capability to promote sustained and sound growth in bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

China welcomes companies from both sides to seize new opportunities arising from China's unwavering commitment to high-level opening-up and to further deepen cooperation in areas including green transition, information technology and the digital economy, according to the spokesperson.

MOFCOM stands ready to work with relevant Finnish authorities to jointly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, strengthen communication on economic and trade policies, provide solid services and support for enterprises, and advance China-Finland economic and trade cooperation in a deeper and more substantive manner, the spokesperson said.

Global Times