President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb, accompanied by his spouse Suzanne Innes-Stubb, paid a state visit to China from 28 to 31 October 2024.
The visit began on Monday 28 October with a tour of the Forbidden City, the imperial palace complex in the heart of Beijing.
On the morning of Tuesday 29 October, President Stubb attended the launch of an academic cooperation between Tsinghua University in Beijing and a network of Finnish universities of applied sciences, and gave a short speech on the occasion. China is reforming its vocational education and training at both secondary and tertiary levels, drawing inspiration from Finland and other countries.
In the afternoon, President Stubb and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng attended a meeting of the China-Finland Committee for Innovative Business Cooperation. The President also met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Chairman of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji, with whom he discussed trade relations between Finland and China, EU-China relations, and Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.
Meeting with President Xi in Beijing
In the evening, President Stubb held talks with President of China Xi Jinping. The presidents discussed, among other things, Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, the UN reform, as well as issues related to climate change and environmental issues.
Much of the discussion was devoted to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. President Stubb stressed that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine undermines security in Europe. “Any support, direct or indirect, for Russia’s war of aggression will prolong the war,” the President said.
Bilateral relations between Finland and China were also on the agenda. The year 2025 will mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. President Stubb said that Finland values the stable, constructive and direct relations with China.
On Wednesday 30 October, President Stubb visited the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS) and met with its President, Chen Bon, before taking the high-speed train to Shanghai.
Export promotion and trade relations in Shanghai
In Shanghai, the state visit focused on promoting exports and trade relations. Thursday 31 October began with the President’s visit to Fudan University, where he delivered a lecture on the transformation of world politics. In his lecture, President Stubb stressed that if we do not update global structures and respect common rules and agreements, the disorder in the world will continue.
Later, President Stubb together with Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah and representatives of the Finnish business delegation, met with Chen Jining, Party Secretary of Shanghai.
At the end of the day, the President and his spouse attended a reception hosted by the Consul General of Finland in Shanghai.
Mrs Suzanne Innes-Stubb, spouse of the President of the Republic of Finland, had a separate programme in addition to the joint programme of the presidential couple. On Tuesday morning, Mrs Innes-Stubb visited the Great Wall of China and in the afternoon she met with representatives of women’s networks and UN Women. The meeting focused on improving the status of women and girls, which has long been a priority in Finnish foreign policy. On Tuesday evening, Mrs Innes-Stubb met President Xi’s wife, Professor Peng Liyuan. On Wednesday she visited the Temple of Heaven in Beijing and on Thursday she met students at the Xingzhi Foreign Language School in Shanghai.
The Finnish Government and Parliament were represented on the state visit by Minister of Climate and the Environment Kai Mykkänen, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah, Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen, Member of Parliament, Chair of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with China Ville Skinnari and Member of Parliament, Vice Chair of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with China Sakari Puisto. The President was also accompanied by a Finnish business delegation with representatives from a wide range of business sectors.
