On January 26, MOFCOM and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland co-hosted the 6th China-Finland Committee for Innovative Business Cooperation Meeting in Beijing. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao attended the closing session of the meeting and delivered remarks. Over 120 representatives from the business communities of the two countries participated in the event. Following the meeting, Prime Minister Orpo and Minister Wang held talks with Finnish business representatives.

Prime Minister Orpo noted that Finland and China enjoy a long-standing relationship characterized by frequent high-level exchanges and sound economic and trade cooperation. He emphasized that China is an important trading partner and export market for Finland, and that Finnish enterprises attach great importance to the vast potential of the Chinese market. Since its establishment in 2017, the Finland-China Committee for Innovative Business Cooperation has become a key platform for promoting business exchanges and economic and trade ties between the two countries. He highlighted the strong interest on both sides in cooperation in areas such as green and low-carbon development, the circular economy, and industrial digitalization, and expressed hope that enterprises from both sides would translate their discussions into concrete cooperation projects. The Finnish side supports free trade and fair competition and looks forward to enhanced mutual trust and reduced trade barriers between Europe and China. Prime Minister Orpo also welcomed Chinese enterprises to invest in Finland and pledged to create a sound business environment for them.

Minister Wang Wentao stated that in October 2025, President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with Finnish President Alexander Stubb to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, charting the course and painting a blueprint for the future development of bilateral ties. Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, economic and trade cooperation between China and Finland has yielded increasingly innovate and eco-friendly results, setting a model of open cooperation and mutual benefit. He emphasized that 2026 marks the first year of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan period. China will continue to pursue high-quality development and steadfastly pursue high-standard opening up. Chinese and Finnish enterprises are welcome to strengthen confidence, seize opportunities, and further expand cooperation in trade, investment, innovation, and other areas. Minister Wang also expressed hope that the Finnish government would play a positive role in encouraging the EU to exercise prudence in the use of economic and trade restrictive tools, work with China in the same direction, jointly oppose protectionism, and foster a fair, open, non-discriminatory, and predictable policy environment for China-Finland and China-EU business cooperation.

During the meeting, representatives from Chinese and Finnish enterprises held lively discussions on cooperation in innovation, green development, and digitalization, and signed a number of commercial agreements.