Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo says on January 25, 2026 that his four-day China trip aims to "open doors to Finnish companies and thus strengthen Finnish exports to the Asian market," while expressing his expectation that there are "Interesting days ahead" in a post on Instagram. Photo: screenshot from Orpo's Instagram account

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, upon arriving in Beijing, has said in a post on social media on Sunday that his four-day trip aims to "open doors to Finnish companies and thus strengthen Finnish exports to the Asian market," while expressing his expectation that there are "Interesting days ahead." 

According to Finnish news outlet Yle, Orpo will meet with Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao along with representatives of Finnish blue-chip companies such as Finnair, Fazer, Kemira, Kone, Valio, Valmet and Wärtsilä on Monday.

The prime minister has brought with him to the Chinese capital executives from more than 20 Finnish companies, spanning Finland's strengths in machinery, forestry, innovation, clean energy and food.

China is one of Finland's most important trading partners. In 2025, bilateral trade exceeded $8 billion, while two-way investment stock surpassed $23 billion, according to MOFCOM. 

Data from the Finnish government shows that in 2024, Finland's goods exports to China amounted to 3.5 billion euros ($4.1 billion), with service exports totaling 1.82 billion euros. Finland's goods imports from China, for their part, totaled 7.5 billion euros. In 2023, there were 239 subsidiaries of Finnish companies operating in China with a turnover of over 14 billion euros from their business in China.

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.

Global Times