On 16 August, Ambassador Wang Tongqing visited the Prime Minister’s Office of Finland to meet with Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. The two exchanged views on China-Finland relations, and their bilateral practical cooperation and China-EU relations, among others. Ambassador Wang also elaborated the guiding principles from the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Ambassador Wang noted that Finland is among the first Western countries to establish diplomatic relations with New China; and that the two countries have been promoting practical cooperation in various fields over the past seven decades and more, based on the principles of mutual respect, equality, exchanges and mutual learning, and win-win cooperation, which has benefited both countries and both peoples. He pointed out that both countries, with strong complementarity in their economy, carry out fruitful and promising exchange and cooperation in fields including green development, technological innovation, forest industries and agricultural and food products. He emphasized that China attaches great importance to its relations with Finland and with the EU and hopes these two relations can enhance each other in their developments.

Prime Minister Orpo noted that China is an important major country and an important trade partner for Finland. He pointed out that the bilateral practical cooperation enjoys broad prospect. As Prime Minister stated, Finland is ready to strengthen high-level exchanges with China and deepen the mutually beneficial cooperation in green transition, circular economy, forest industries, agricultural and food products, among others. He also noted that Finland stands ready to work with China to handle climate change and other global challenges.