Partnership with Finland future-oriented

The virtual meeting between the state leaders of China and Finland on Wednesday has highlighted the strong complementarity and potential of Sino-Finnish cooperation.

China has the unique advantages of its ultra-large market and a complete industrial system, while Finland has strong comprehensive competitiveness, advanced technology and good business environment.

Finland was one of the first Western countries to establish diplomatic ties with China and has long adhered to a friendly policy toward China.

That the Sauli Niinisto government has been actively committed to promoting Finland's practical cooperation with China and friendly exchanges in various fields has helped ensure that China-Finland relations have maintained steady development.

Bilateral cooperation in the forest industry, agriculture and food production, information and communication, energy, environmental protection, science and technology, education, winter sports and other fields has deepened, bringing tangible benefits to both countries and peoples.

The trade volume between China and Finland will reach €12.5 billion ($13.73 billion) in 2022, accounting for 7.2 percent of Finland's total trade. China has become Finland's third-largest trading partner and has been Finland's largest trading partner in Asia for 20 consecutive years.

Finland's share of China's foreign trade with the five Nordic countries and the three Baltic countries has increased year by year, rising from 13.2 percent in 2020 to 15.3 percent in 2022.

Both sides should carry on the momentum and continue to uphold the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutually beneficial cooperation.

As China's top leader reiterated on Wednesday, China is willing to share its development opportunities with Finland, strengthen their mutually beneficial cooperation, deepen the future-oriented new type of cooperative partnership between the two countries, and strengthen their coordination in international affairs. They can work together to jointly advocate multilateralism and the upholding of free trade, and make positive contributions to help safeguard world peace and stability.

It is good to hear Niinisto echoed that by expressing the country's willingness to continue to further tap the potential of cooperation with China and promote the development of Finland-China and European Union-China relations.

The two sides can also strengthen communication on international and regional affairs and global challenges such as climate change.