Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to pay a state visit to Finland from April 4 to 6 – the first by a Chinese head of state to Finland since 1995.

The visit aims to “further political trust and substantial cooperation in various areas,” spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lu Kang has said.

China-Finland relations have been in good shape in recent years. In addition, by establishing 24 pairs of sister cities, the two sides enjoy increasingly solid foundations for cooperation.

In 1998, Shanghai was one of the earliest cities to become sister city to Finland’s second largest city, Espoo.

In recent years, Shanghai has vigorously implemented an innovation-driven development strategy and sped up the building of a globally influential science and technology innovation center. On the other hand, Espoo, where leading technology and information companies like Nokia base, has long been an important high-tech and innovation center of Northern Europe.

With the efforts of both sides, Slush, an international entrepreneurship and investment convention founded in Espoo, was successfully held in Shanghai on October 31, 2016.

On November 1 last year, the signing of a new round of Memorandums on Friendly Cooperation and Exchange 2017-2019 opened a new chapter in the history of cooperation and exchange between the two sides.

As the capital cities of China and Finland, Beijing and Helsinki established sister-city ties in 2006. Last year the two cities celebrated the 10th anniversary of their friendship.

In May 2016, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture cooperated with the Helsinki Cultural Center and successfully held the first Moi Helsinki cultural event. The program featured concerts, fashion shows, satellite events and a featured three-day event at Xidan—Beijing’s central commercial area.

In Helsinki, a Chinese New Year market and fireworks to celebrate Spring Festival regularly gathers 25,000 to 30,000 visitors every year.

The cities share not only their cultures but also knowledge about winter sports and clean air. Improving air quality and holding the 2022 Winter Olympics Games are both key priorities for authorities in Beijing right now. Helsinki, on the other hand, has successfully battled air pollution and is one of six countries that have won gold medals at every Winter Olympics Games since their establishment.

In 2016, the youngest pair of sister cities formed between Chinese city Kunshan and Finnish municipality Hyvinkää.

Kunshan, an important manufacturing city situated in Southeastern Jiangsu Province, is the first county-level city whose GNP exceeded 20,000 US dollars in China. Similar to Kunshan, Hyvinkää also boasts its own manufacturing scene, and is home to the world’s third largest elevator and escalator manufacturer, KONE Elevators.

In 2013, the two countries' leaders reached a consensus to establish and build the China-Finland Future-oriented New Type Cooperative Partnership. President Xi's visit this time will allow the two countries' leaders to further discuss issues of mutual interest, especially ways to better expand practical cooperation, and further boost our bilateral relations.