Finnish PM arrives in Beijing for 4-day visit to China

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo arrived in Beijing on Sunday to pay an official visit to China from Jan. 25 to 28, at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

During the visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with the Finnish prime minister, while Chinese Premier Li and Chairman of China's National People's Congress Standing Committee Zhao Leji will hold talks and meet with Orpo, respectively, to conduct in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and issues of common concern.

Finland was among the first Western countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and was the first European country to sign an inter-governmental trade agreement with China. Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state in recent years, the future-oriented new-type cooperative partnership between the two countries has been deepened, and cooperation in various fields has been steadily advanced.

In 2025, bilateral trade between China and Finland exceeded 8 billion U.S. dollars in value, while mutual investment stock surpassed 23 billion U.S. dollars, reflecting sustained enthusiasm of enterprises from both sides for strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation.

During Orpo's visit, China's Ministry of Commerce will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Finnish side on strengthening the work of the China-Finland Committee for Innovative Business Cooperation, and enterprises from both sides will sign a number of business cooperation agreements, said a spokesperson for the ministry.

Orpo will be accompanied by executives from more than 20 Finnish companies spanning machinery, forestry, innovation, clean energy, food and other key sectors, according to the spokesperson.

China attaches great importance to the development of China-Finland relations, and stands ready to work with Finland to maintain close high-level exchanges, consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen economic and trade cooperation, promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges, foster mutual understanding and collaboration in multilateral affairs, and jointly elevate bilateral relations to a new height, said a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Finnish PM arrives in Beijing for 4-day visit to China

Finnish PM arrives in Beijing for 4-day visit to China

China will formulate more effective laws and regulations in 2026, covering key areas, emerging fields, and foreign-related domains, Minister of Justice He Rong said in an interview in Beijing on Thursday.

Legislative efforts will focus on four fronts this year to ensure that the rule of law aligns more effectively with reform, development, and stability, while better upholding social fairness and justice, the minister said after the closing meeting of the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature.

"Firstly, we will improve the business environment by formulating regulations for building a unified national market. Efforts will be made to address issues of concern, such as local protection, the imposition of improper market access restrictions, and rat-race competition," said the minister.

"Secondly, we will promote sci-tech innovation. Artificial intelligence has become a 'buzzword' at this year's two sessions. In 2026, we will accelerate research on legislation in fields such as artificial intelligence and the law-altitude economy, revise the Road Traffic Safety Law and formulate regulations on airspace management," He said.

"Thirdly, legislation will place greater emphasis on safeguarding people's livelihood and promoting common prosperity, aiming to meet the public's growing demand for better legal protections in areas such as food, housing, clothing, and transportation. This year, administrative regulations will be formulated and implemented concerning water supply, pharmaceutical administration, road transport management, and housing safety," the minister said.

"Fourthly, we will strengthen services to advance high-level opening-up. We will advance the formulation of laws and regulations related to trade, investment, and customs clearance facilitation," the minister said.

The "two sessions," or the annual sessions of the NPC, and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top political advisory body, concluded on Thursday and Wednesday, respectively.

China to strengthen legislation in key sectors, emerging fields, foreign-related domains: minister