I. Political Relations
Finland recognized the People's Republic of China on 13th January 1950, and the two countries established diplomatic relations on 28th October of the same year. In the spring of 1951, the two countries exchanged diplomatic envoys at ministerial level. Geng Biao, the Chinese Minister accredited to Denmark, was assigned concurrently as Minister to Finland. In 1954, the two countries raise the level of diplomatic relations to ambassadorial level and exchanged ambassadors.
Over the 50 years after the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and Finland, the Sino-Finnish relations have developed steadily on the basis of the Five Principals of Peaceful Coexistence. Remarkable achievements have been made in the contacts and cooperation between the two countries in the fields of politics, economy and trade, science and culture.
The exchange of visits between the Parliaments of the two countries started in the 1950s. Mr. Sukselainen, Speaker of the Finnish Parliament, headed a Finnish parliamentary delegation to China in 1956 and met Chairman Mao Zedong, Chairman of NPC Liu Shaoqi and Premier Zhou Enlai. The Delegation of the Chinese National People's Congress headed by Seypidin Azizi paid a return visit to Finland in 1957 and met Finnish President, Speaker of Parliament and Prime Minister respectively. In the fields of economy and trade, China, Finland and the Soviet Union signed a trilateral trade agreement in 1952. In 1953, China and Finland signed the Inter-Governmental Trade and Payment Agreement. It was the first one of its kind between China and Western Countries.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the relations between the two countries witnessed a continuous development. There were some exchange of visits at ministerial level between different ministries and departments of the two countries. In the early 1970s, Finland rendered its full support to China in restoring its legitimate seat in the United Nations. In 1979, Vice-Premier Geng Biao headed a Chinese Government Delegation to Finland on an official visit and that was the first visit by a Chinese Government leader to Finland since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. During the visit the two sides signed the Agreement on Economic, Industrial, Scientific and Technological Cooperation between China and Finland and set up a bilateral mixed committee which holds meetings annually.
Since the beginning of 1980s, high level exchange of visits between the two countries has increased and friendly cooperation between the two sides has been enhanced in all fields. The main Chinese visitors to Finland are: Mr. Wu Xueqian, State Councilor and Foreign Minister (1986), Mr. Huang Hua, Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) (1987), Mr. Peng Chong, Vice-Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee (1991), Premier Li Peng (1992), Vice-Premier Zhu Rongji (1992), Vice-Premier Tian Jiyun (1992), Mr. Li Reihuan, Chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC (1994), Mr. Qian Qichen, Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister (1994), Vice-Premier Li Lanqing (1995), Vice-Premier Zou Jahua (1996), Mr. Wen Jabao, Member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the CPC (1996), Vice-Premier Wu Banguo (1997), Mr. Tomur Dawamat, Vice-Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee (1997) and Foreign Minister Tang Jaxuan (1999), Mr.Huang Ju, Member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of CCP (1999), Mr. Wei Jiangxin, Standing Member of the Political Bureau and Member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of CCP(2000), Procurator-General Han Shubin(2000). President Jiang Zemin paid a state visit to Finland in July 1995 and that was the first visit by a Chinese Head of State to Finland. The main Finnish visitors to China are: Foreign Minister Paavo Vayrynen (1984, 1992), Prime Minister Kalevi Sorsa (1986), President Mauno Koivisto (1988), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade Pertti Salolainen (1989,1993), Speaker of Parliament Mrs. Riitta Uosukainen (1994), Prime Minister Esko Aho (1994), Foreign Minister Mrs. Tarja Halonen (1998), Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen (official visit in 1998 and attending the Second China-EU Summit in 1999) and Procurator-General Matti Kuusimaki (1998). The Finnish President Mr. Martti Ahtisaari (state visit in 1996, stopover in 1997, visit as special envoy of EU to brief on the political solution for Kosovo and attending the ceremony marking the resumption of sovereignty by China over Macao in 1999 ). On October28, 2000, the day marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Finland, President Jiang and Finnish President Mrs. Halonen, Foreign Minister Tang Jaxun and his Finnish counterpart Tuomioja cabled each other congratulations. The Finnish Minister of Transport and Communications Heinonen, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Hemila and Director General of the National Board of Customs made a special trip to China to participate the activities marking the 50th anniversary of the forging of bilateral ties.
In November 2002, President Tarja Halonen paid a state visit to China. Chief of Supreme Administrative Court Pekka Hallberg, Minister of Environment Satu Hassi, Minister of Foreign Trade Jari Vilen visited China respectively. More than 70 ministerial delegations visited Finland including Deputy Secretary-General of Standing Committee of CNPC He Lui, Vice President of CPCC Luo Haocai.
In September, Mr. Luo Gan, Member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee and CPPCC Executive Vice Chairman Wang Zhongyu paid separate visits to Finland . NPC Vice Chairman Uyunqimg, Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Shi Guangsheng, Finance Minister Xiang Huaicheng, Administrator-General of Customs Mou Xinsheng and Justice Minister Zhang Fusen visited Finland. First Deputy Parliament Speaker Matti Koski, Education Minister Tuula Haatainen, Trade and Industry Minister Mauri Pekkarinen and Culture Minister Tanja Karpela visited China.
II. Trade Relations and Economic-Technological Cooperation
The Chinese and Finnish economies are complementary to each other. Since the 1980s, the economic and trade relations between the two countries have developed rapidly and bilateral trade volume has increased by a big margin. According to statistics of the Chinese Customs, the total trade volume between China and Finland in 2003 was US$3.46 billion.an increase of 29.8% from the previous year. China's export value was US$1670million and its import value was US$1788million, up by 45.1% and 18.2% respectively compared with the previous year. At present, China's main exports to Finland are textiles and garments, cereals, oils and foodstuffs, light industrial products and mechanical equipment, and China's main imports from Finland are paper-making machines, generating sets, paper and paper board, composite fertilizer, wires and cables and telecommunication equipment. In November 2003,the 16th meeting of the Sino-Finnish Mixed Committee was held in Beijing.
By the end of 2003, loans granted by the Finnish Government to the Chinese side has totaled up to US$ 485 million in financing 83 Chinese projects. In 2003, Finland invested in 26 projects in China with a contractual value of US$ 68.18 million and an implemented value of more than US$ 32.39 million. By now, a total of 181 investment projects were signed, with contracted investment worth US$610 million and the capital actually utilized totaling US$390 million. There are over 110 Sino-Finnish joint-ventures in China, among which the main ones are Valmet (Xian) Paper Machine Co. Ltd., Nokia (Beijing) Mobile Telecommunications Ltd., Kone Elevators Co. Ltd. in Jiangsu Province. In 1988, Finnish Airline opened the Helsinki-Beijing direct air route. In 2003 Finnair inaugurated another direct route from Helsinki to Shanghai.
III. Exchanges and Cooperation in the Fields of Culture, Science & Technology, Education and Military
In 1980, the two countries signed the Program on Cultural Exchange and Cooperation, which was renewed thereafter every three years. Through this program the cultural exchanges between the two countries have increased greatly. China Central Opera House, Dalian Peking Opera Troupe, Shenyang Acrobatic Troupe, Tibetan Song and Dance Troupe, Kun Opera Troupe, Zhejiang Yue Opera Troupe and other major performance groups visited Finland and were received warmly. Also Finnish Ballet Troupe, Sibelius Academy Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of Turku paid visits to China. Furthermore, artists from the two countries held two Forbidden City Music Festivals in Beijing in 1996 and 1998. In November 1999, the two Governments signed the Program for Cultural Exchanges from year 2000 to 2004. In October 2000, the Finnish Chamber Music Orchestra, Helsinki Dance Troupe, Puppet Troupe, etc., performed in Beijing to mark the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties. In 2002, Peking Opera Troupe of China Traditional Opera Academy successfully visited Finland. To mark the 50th anniversary of China-Finland official cultural exchanges, a grand-scale Chinese Cultural Festival was held in Finland and the Finnish Chamber Orchestra made a performing tour in China in 2003.
In 1986, the two countries signed the Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation. Since then, the scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries has made remarkable progress especially in recent years. Some of the scientific and technological projects have proved to be quite successful, such as Beijing-Miyun Winter Water Supply Project, Ice Prevention Project at the Lower Reaches of the Yellow River and Hebei Fur Processing Project. In 2003, the National Technology Agency of Finland opened a representative office in Beijin.
The Bilateral Agreement on Exchange of Students was signed in 1973, after which the number of students exchanged has increased year by year. In 2002, there were about 1,300 Chinese students in Finland studying various subjects while there were over 160 Finnish students studying in China. In September 2002, Beijing Foreign Language University started to teach Finnish.
Military contacts between the two countries started at the end of 1970s. China established its Military Attache's Office in Finland in 1979, while Finland assigned its first Resident Military Attache to Beijing in 1999. The top Chinese military leaders who visited Finland are: General Zhang Wannian, Chief of General Staff (1993), General Chi Haotian, Minister of National Defense (1995), General Fu Quanyou (1997), Deputy Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Wu Quanshu(1999) and General Xu Caihou(2000). Admiral Klenberg, Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Defense Forces (1994), Minister of Defense Mrs. Taina (1997), General Gustav Hagglund, Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Defense Forces (1998), Lieutenant General Korpela, Chief of the General Staff of the Defense Forces (1999) and Chief of the General Staff of the Defense Forces Lieutenant General Hollo (2000) visited China. In September 2003, Lieutenant General Zhang Li, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army visited Finland and Lieutenant General Heikki Tilander, Commander of Northern Command of Finnish Defence Forces, paid a return visit to China in November.
IV. Consular Relations
In July 1995, Foreign Ministers of the two countries exchanged notes on the establishment of consulate generals in Helsinki, and Finland opened its Consulate General in Shanghai in November of the same year. In December 1996, the two governments reached an agreement on the maintenance of the Finnish Consulate General in Hong Kong SAR after 1 July 1997.
V. Sister-city Relations
Mudanjiang City (Heilongjiang Province) and Jyvaskyla city (1990)
Nanchang City (Jiangxi Province) and Toijala City (1997)
Nanchang City (Jiangxi Province) and Valkeakoski City (1997)
Shanghai City and Espoo City (1998)
Deyang City (Sichuan Province) and Lahti City (2000)
Jiangsu Province and Southern Finland Province (2001)
Taizhou City (Jiangsu Province) and Kotka City (2001)
Jinan city (Shandong Province) and Vantaa City (2001)
VI. List of Important Bilateral Agreements and Documents
1. Bilateral Trade and Payment Agreement between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Finland (1953)
2. Exchange of Notes on Reciprocating Most Favored Nation status regarding Tariffs and Navigation between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Finland (1956)
3. Agreement on Civil Air Transport between the Government of the People's Republic of China and Government of the Republic of Finland (1975)
4. Agreement on Maritime Transport between the Government of the People's Republic of China and Government of the Republic of Finland (1976)
5. Agreement on Economic, Industrial, Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the Government of the People's Republic of China and Government of the Republic of Finland (1979)
6. Agreement on Long-term Bilateral Trade between the Government of the People's Republic of China and Government of the Republic of Finland (1982)
7. Cultural Agreement between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Finland (1984)
8. Agreement on Protection of Investments between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Finland (1984)
9. Agreement between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Finland for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income (1986)
10. Minutes of Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Finland (1986)
11. Memorandum of Understanding on Judicial Cooperation between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Finland (1995)
12. Memorandum of Understanding on Environmental Protection between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Finland (1995)
13. Exchange of Notes on Reciprocal Establishment of Consulate General between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Finland (1995)
(Information from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PRC ) |
Bilateral Visits