Finland to strengthen China partnership, deepen multi-area cooperation in years to come: Finnish senior official

Jukka Salovaara, the permanent state secretary in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, gives a speech to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Finland in Beijing, Oct.15, 20025. (People's Daily Online/Wang Xiaoping)

Finland remains committed to maintaining and strengthening partnership with China in the years to come, and there is strong potential in deepening cooperation between the two nations in multiple fields. The two nations will also make joint contributions to peace and stability under the framework of the UN charter, said Jukka Salovaara, the permanent state secretary in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

"Our long-standing relationship provides a strong foundation for open and constructive dialogue, even when on some issues where we don't fully agree. I'm very pleased that Finland and China have elevated our cooperation on many practical fields, such as in circular economy, low carbon development and fight against climate change," Salovaara told People's Daily Online during an interview.

"Looking ahead, we see a lot of potential to deepen long-term cooperation in sustainable forestry, water management and other green transition sectors. (Such cooperation) will not only benefit our countries but the planet overall," he noted.

Salovaara made the remarks during his visit in Beijing on Oct. 15, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Finland. Finland recognized the People's Republic of China on Jan. 13, 1950, and established diplomatic relations with China on Oct. 28 within the same year. Since then, China-Finland diplomatic relations have been developing steadily, and making remarkable achievements in the fields of political, economic, scientific, technological, and cultural cooperation.

"I've been traveling to China on a regular basis since 1994," Salovaara stated, "I can see how much China has developed during this time, and Finland wants to be a partner in that development."

In recent years, the Future-oriented New-type Cooperative Partnership between China and Finland enjoys all-round development. In October 2024, Finnish President Alexander Stubb paid his first state visit to China, during which China and Finland published the Joint Action Plan between China and Finland on Promoting the Future-oriented New-type Cooperative Partnership 2025-2029.

"I'm very happy that with the joint action plan, we are taking our cooperation to a very practical level where we can provide expertise and also learn from each other," said Salovaara.

According to the Finnish Permanent State Secretary, Finland and China have seen great progress on cooperation such as vocational higher education, seeking circular economy solutions, low carbon development, and smart water management.

"All these areas are sort of areas where Finnish expertise sort of aligns strongly with China's long-term development goals," said Salovaara.

He also welcomes the constructive participation of China in Arctic governance.

"It's important that (arctic governance) should be based on international law, scientific cooperation and environmental sustainability. The big emphasis there is in a way that whatever we do in the Arctic, it has to be sustainable and mindful of the environment," he added.

The Finnish Permanent State Secretary also reiterated the importance of Finland-China cooperation in supporting the UN and multilateral relations.

"Finland and China are both active supporters of multilateral cooperation, and (both countries) work well in the multilateral sphere and the United Nations. We stand firmly for international laws and the UN charter, China's role as a permanent member of the UN Security Council remains crucial, and Finland itself is a candidate for the UN Security Council," said Salovaara.