Tough talk from foreign minister shows the nation could provide a de facto veto on China’s efforts to launch a deal
3-MIN READ3-MIN1 ListenFinbarr Berminghamin HelsinkiPublished: 7:12pm, 23 Apr 2026Updated: 7:20pm, 23 Apr 2026China’s close ties with Russia should be a “disqualifying factor” in Beijing’s bid to launch talks on a free-trade agreement with the European Union, Finland’s foreign minister has said.
In an exclusive interview in Helsinki on Wednesday, however, Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen poured cold water on the idea, saying that Beijing’s close ties with Moscow will block progress towards any EU-China trade deal.
While there have been no formal discussions about launching talks, the suggestion has appeared in several official Chinese diplomatic readouts.
Valtonen’s statement shows Finland could provide a de facto veto on any moves in that direction, given that no talks could be launched without the backing of all 27 EU member states.
