Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, who is on an official visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on January 27, 2026. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday welcomes Finnish enterprises to "take a swim in the vast ocean of the Chinese market" to enhance their global competitiveness, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Xi made the remarks in his meeting in Beijing with visiting Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, calling on both sides to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in areas such as energy transition, circular economy, agriculture and forestry industries, and scientific and technological innovation.

Xi pointed out that Finland was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. Over the past 76 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China-Finland relations, characterized by mutual respect, equality, future orientation and win-win cooperation, have achieved steady growth regardless of how the international landscape has evolved, he added, per Xinhua. 

Noting this year marks the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period, Xi said China will continue to advance high-quality development and expand high-standard opening up to the rest of the world.

Finland is a powerhouse in winter sports, and China has also emerged as a major winter sports nation, Xi said, calling on both sides to promote exchanges and cooperation in this area to carry forward their winter sports friendship.

He welcomes more Finnish people to visit China and experience its blend of ancient heritage and modern vitality, according Xinhua. 

Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, Chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, also met with Orpo on Tuesday in Beijing.

Enhanced cooperation

Noting that Finnish enterprises take great interest in coming to China for cooperation, Orpo said Finland is willing to work with China to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, enhance high-level exchanges, and deepen practical cooperation in trade, investment, digital economy, clean energy, agriculture and other fields.

Experts said Orpo's visit comes at a time when US protectionism is injecting instability into Europe and the Arctic. China's commitment to free trade and open economic cooperation with Finland and other Nordic countries serves as a strong response to protectionist practices, and the prospects for cooperation between China, Finland and other Nordic countries lie in coordination rather than so-called competition.

Foreign media also closely followed Orpo's China visit, particularly its timing. Reuters noted that Orpo's visit to China comes as US President Donald Trump's volatile foreign policy decisions and confrontational approach toward allies is push European countries to diversify their foreign relations.

China and Finland enjoy broad prospects for cooperation not only in economic exchanges but also in people-to-people ties. China has made substantial financial investments in Finland and cooperates with the country in safeguarding Arctic commercial shipping routes, Jian Junbo, director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

Finland's strengths in basic education and tourism also offer room for deeper cooperation in education and tourism, and enhanced coordination and communication could further promote trade liberalization and investment facilitation, Jian said.

On Monday, China's Ministry of Commerce and Finland's Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment jointly hosted the 6th China-Finland Committee for Innovative Business Cooperation Meeting in Beijing. Orpo and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao attended the closing ceremony and delivered speeches.

Speaking with the Global Times at the event on Monday, Marko Tiesmäki, Minister Counsellor and Head of Business and Trade Promotion of the Embassy of Finland in Beijing, said that the two countries are highly complementary, particularly in innovation and manufacturing. 

'Partners, not adversaries'

In terms of China-Europe relations, Xi told Orpo on Tuesday that China and Europe are partners, not adversaries, according to Xinhua. 

Cooperation between China and Europe outweighs competition, and their common ground outweighs differences, he noted, adding that China hopes Finland will play a constructive role in promoting the healthy and stable development of China-Europe relations.

Meanwhile, Xi pointed out that in a world confronted by multiple risks and challenges, the international community should join hands for response, adding that major countries should act as a good example to promote equality, observe the rule of law, pursue cooperation, and uphold integrity.

He expressed China's readiness to work with Finland to firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law, to jointly respond to global challenges, per Xinhua. 

Xi also said China is willing to work with Finland to promote an equitable and orderly multipolar world as well as a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.

Orpo also said that Finland firmly adheres to the one-China policy. He added that Finland appreciates China's important and constructive role in international affairs and is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China to jointly safeguard world peace and stability, Xinhua reported. 

Noting that the constructive development of Europe-China relations is of great significance, Orpo said Finland advocates Europe's strategic autonomy, supports free trade, and stands ready to play a positive role in helping properly resolve trade frictions between Europe and China and promote the healthy development of their ties.

In a report covering Orpo's China visit, Reuters noted that the visit comes amid heightened attention on Arctic security at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last week after US President Donald Trump's threat to seize Greenland.  

The Arctic is becoming increasingly important to international trade as shrinking ice packs open up new and faster shipping routes, cutting transit times between Asia and Europe nearly in half, while one-third of Finland's territory lies above the Arctic Circle, Reuters reported.

China and Nordic countries can expand cooperation in the Arctic across multiple areas, including maritime security, resource development, environmental and ecological protection, as well as scientific research and commercial activities, all of which hold significant potential, Jian said.

Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said Orpo's visit reflects not only the importance of China-Finland ties but also broader China-Nordic relations, which value existing cooperation foundations and traditions. 

Nordic countries, with relatively small domestic markets, have long advocated free trade and open economies to access external resources, a position that aligns with China's stance, Cui told the Global Times on Tuesday.

As global geopolitical dynamics evolve, Nordic countries, including Finland, are increasingly focused on mitigating the impact of external shocks on their economic interests and security. China, by contrast, has consistently upheld principled positions in international affairs rather than resorting to coercive practices that threaten global economic and security stability, Cui said, adding that Nordic countries will gradually recognize China as both a reliable economic partner and a dependable participant in regional and global governance.

The beginning of 2026 has seen intensive high-level visits to China by European leaders. Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin visited China from January 4 to January 8, with Orpo being the latest European leader to do so. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is scheduled to visit China on Wednesday, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is also reportedly planning a China trip in the near future.

Amid mounting regional and global challenges, China and Europe could strengthen dialogue and coordination to jointly find solutions. The recent surge in high-level interactions between the two sides demonstrates that despite adjustments in Europe's China policy discourse in recent years, mutual need and cooperation continue to dominate in bilateral interactions, Cui noted.