How the Chinese media reported on the Finnish president's visit to China

Background, itinerary and results of the Finnish President's visit to China

Finnish President Stubb visited China on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Finland. This is Stubb's first visit to China since he was sworn in in March, more than five years after the visit of the previous Finnish president, Niinist?, in January 2019. Since 2019, the political and economic environment related to China and Finland has undergone significant changes, during which there are factors such as the challenge of the COVID 19, the outbreak and continuation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as Finland's accession to NATO, the ongoing tension in the Taiwan Strait, and the expansion of the trade dispute between China and the EU.

Stubb's visit to China was very fulfilling and he was received by the Chinese side with a very high standard. During his stay in Beijing, President Xi Jinping held talks with Stuber, and Premier Li Qiang and Chairman Zhao Leji met with him respectively. While in Shanghai, Chen Jining, secretary of the Shanghai Municipal CPC Committee, also met with him. Stubb visited Tsinghua University in Beijing and Fudan University in Shanghai and delivered a speech. President Stubb attended the "2024 China-Finland Sustainable Development Forum" and delivered a speech. President Stubb was also interviewed by China's most important media outlets, Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television. It is also worth mentioning that Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, had a tea reception in Beijing with Susanna, the wife of the President of Finland, who accompanied Finnish President Stubb on a state visit to China, demonstrating the charm of her diplomacy.

The results of Stubb's visit to China are mainly reflected in the "Bilateral Relations Development Plan for 2025-2029" signed by the two sides. The two entities have reached new cooperation in the areas of education, climate change, environment, water conservancy, circular economy, agriculture, forestry and food, complementing the overall cooperation between the two sides for the future. In addition, China has also granted Finland a unilateral visa-free treatment, which simplifies the procedures for going to China and facilitates Finns to do business and tourism in China.

Chinese mainstream media coverage of the Finnish president's visit to China

The Finnish President's visit to China has been reported and analysed by many very important mainstream media, including Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, China Daily, Jiefang Daily and other heavyweight media.

The reports were generally very positive. The author summarizes the relevant reports as follows.

First of all, the Finnish human spirit was emphasized.

The SISU spirit (SISU) has been mentioned several times in related reports. In Finnish, there is a word that is difficult to translate literally: the spirit of SISU (Sisu), which means "perseverance and courage". Together with Santa Claus, Sauna and Sibelius, it forms the "4S" and becomes a window for Chinese to understand the Nordic country.

The report also mentioned "Finland can be trusted" several times, and directly quoted Stubb's statement: "Finland is a trustworthy country, we are law-abiding, we are straightforward, our expression is not always very extroverted, but we must be bottom-line, reliable business partners."

Second, it emphasized the importance of China-Finland cooperation

Finland is the first Western country to sign an intergovernmental trade agreement with China, China's third largest trading partner in the Nordic region, and China has been Finland's largest trading partner in Asia for 21 consecutive years. During his visit to China, Stubb was accompanied by the Minister of Climate and Environment, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, members of Parliament, and the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Group on China. The Finnish business delegation was also accompanied by representatives from various business sectors. Expanding cooperation in multiple fields is undoubtedly the key word of Stubb's trip.

"Thanks to globalization and free trade, China has made remarkable development achievements in manufacturing, innovation and technology. China and the EU are important and interdependent trading partners, and there is still great potential for cooperation in important areas such as green transition and clean energy. It is hoped that there will be no more trade wars between the world's major economies. Recognition and appreciation were also expressed for these views.

Third, seeking common ground while reserving differences in political views

Due to historical grievances with Russia and a sense of crisis, Finland's relations with Russia have fallen to a freezing point. However, China maintains normal economic and trade relations with Russia. In this regard, before the president's visit to China, the Finnish side made a lot of criticisms about the normal cooperation between China and Russia. For this major difference, the relevant media did not mention it.

The report mainly mentions Stubb's view that "multipolarity should be based on multilateralism" and that "the countries of the South should have more power". His views on populists are also presented.

During Finnish President Stubb's visit to China, a delegation from the Finnish Parliament visited Taiwan and met with high-level figures in Taiwan. It is believed that the Chinese embassy has already learned about the relevant situation and reported it back to China. However, China's judgment should be to treat the Finnish president and the Finnish parliament differently, and not to rashly cancel the Finnish president's visit to China just because of the Finnish parliamentarian's visit to Taiwan. However, interference in China's internal affairs and provocation of the "one-China" policy have always been a hidden danger in Sino-Finnish friendly relationship.