China’s Xi Jinping signals deeper ties with Finland during PM’s visit

Xi tells Finnish premier that businesses from Helsinki are welcome to ‘swim freely’ in China’s ‘vast market’.Published On 27 Jan 2026Beijing is willing to enhance mutual trust, strengthen communication and deepen economic cooperation with Finland, Chinese President Xi Jinping declared as he welcomed Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Beijing.Orpo was in the Chinese capital on Tuesday to meet Xi and other leaders as part of a four-day visit to the country that began on Sunday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3What role is China playing in global geopolitical transformations?list 2 of 3President Xi says India, China ‘friends, partners’ amid Trump’s trade warlist 3 of 3Trump says he’s raising tariffs on South Korea to 25%end of listDuring their meeting, Xi told Orpo that Finnish businesses were welcome to “swim freely” in the “vast” Chinese market, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.Xi also expressed readiness to work with Finland “to firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations” based on international law, adding that Beijing was seeking “to promote an equitable and orderly multipolar world”.The two leaders also discussed cooperation in areas such as energy transition, agriculture and forestry, according to Xinhua.On Monday, Orpo met Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, who called on Finland to urge the European Union to consider caution in the use of restrictive trade and economic tools.At the meeting, Wang also urged Orpo to oppose protectionism and “create a fair, open and predictable policy environment” for Chinese companies, according to China’s state-owned Global Times newspaper.China’s Ministry of Commerce had earlier announced that the two countries were to sign a deal on business cooperation.Orpo is accompanied by executives from more than 20 Finnish companies, spanning machinery, forestry, innovation, clean energy and food.