On 21 November, Ambassador Wang Tongqing met with Sandra Bergqvist, Minister of Youth, Sport and Physical Activity of Finland. The two exchanged views on promoting cooperation in the fields of youth, sports and physical activities between China and Finland.

Ambassador Wang noted that China and Finland have witnessed the sound and steady development of their bilateral relations for long, with their practical cooperation featuring complementarity and enormous prospects. He pointed out that the two countries have been carrying out exchanges and mutual learning in the fields of youth, physical activities, among others, in recent years, which have achieved remarkable outcomes especially in winter sports, deepening the friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples. Ambassador Wang emphasized that China stands ready to work with Finland to continuously broaden the exchanges and cooperation in various fields, so as to bring more achievements for the bilateral cooperation.

Minister Bergqvist noted that Finland-China relations have been stable and constructive for long. She highlighted President Sauli Niinistö’s visit to China in 2019 when he joined President Xi Jinping to initiate China-Finland Year of Winter Sports; she also highlighted the Eighth Meeting of the Joint Committee of Finland-China Sport Cooperation held in 2022. Minister Bergqvist stated that Finland wishes to further enhance the exchanges and mutual learning with China, deepen the bilateral cooperation on the current basis, and consistently promote the bilateral relations.

Counsellor Yuan Xudong attended the meeting.