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, Finland-China Friendship Group of Finnish Parliament 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, Deputy Chief of Supreme People's Court Liu Jiachen and Deputy procurator General Hu Kehui.