Finland-China: Pressure reducing valve

Not only promoting bilateral relations, Finnish President Alexander Stubb's visit to China also contributes to stabilizing China-European Union (EU) relations at a time of global turmoil.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Beijing, October 29. (Source: THX)

As one of the first Western countries to establish diplomatic relations and sign trade agreements with China, Finland has maintained stable and healthy relations with Beijing. China is now Finland's largest trading partner in Asia, with bilateral trade expected to reach $8.2 billion by 2023.

Finland is world-renowned for its technological research and development capabilities, particularly in areas such as information technology, healthcare and environmental energy. Meanwhile, China offers a large market and diverse manufacturing base, creating a dynamic context for cooperation between the two sides.

The economic complementarity between the two countries is strong. That is why, despite the upheavals in China-EU relations due to trade disputes and international governance, Finland has maintained a fairly balanced stance. Unlike other European countries, Helsinki does not support imposing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.

On that positive foundation, Mr. Alexander Stubb's visit went smoothly. Many agreements were signed, opening up opportunities to enhance cooperation in many areas such as sustainable development, green transformation, digital economy, artificial intelligence, etc. The model of combining Finland's advanced technological advances and China's vast manufacturing capacity will be raised to a new level.

As Europe becomes more cautious in its dealings with China, Finland’s success in maintaining a deft stance and policy in dealing with powers like China also helps to ease tensions in EU-China relations. It will be a necessary pressure relief valve when China-EU relations fall into a deadlock.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/phan-lan-trung-quoc-van-giam-ap-292059.html