Xi backs UN-centered order in meeting with Finland’s Orpo as Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ raises questions
BEIJING — President Xi Jinping said China seeks to uphold a United Nations–based world order during talks with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Beijing, a pointed message as Washington courts allies for a new “Board of Peace” initiative announced by U.S. President Donald Trump this month.
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“China is willing to work with Finland to firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core,” Xi told Orpo at the Great Hall of the People, according to a readout from state broadcaster CCTV. The statement underscores Beijing’s emphasis on a UN-centered global framework even as it weighs whether to join the U.S.-backed grouping, which China has been invited to join but has not confirmed.
Orpo’s four-day visit places Finland among a string of Western governments seeking direct dialogue with China amid shifting U.S. policy. Canadian and French leaders Mark Carney and Emmanuel Macron traveled to Beijing in recent weeks, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was due to arrive the following day, part of a broader European push to manage economic ties with China while navigating strategic differences.
Those differences were on display in the China–Finland exchange. Helsinki and Beijing diverge on Russia’s war in Ukraine and growing competition in the Arctic. In November, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said China was “massively” financing Russia’s war effort. China, a major Russian trading partner, says it is neutral in the conflict and has not condemned Moscow’s invasion.
The Arctic, where Finland sits on NATO’s northern flank, has become another point of concern. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has called for a reinforced collective defense posture to protect Finland and other Arctic nations from increased Russian and Chinese activity. Finland joined NATO in 2023, ending decades of military nonalignment after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
China’s rhetoric on the UN-led system highlights a recurring tension in its foreign policy: defending multilateral institutions where it has growing influence while resisting Western-backed coalitions that Beijing views as exclusionary or aimed at containing its rise. By emphasizing the United Nations during Orpo’s visit, Xi signaled China’s preference for established global forums as the venue for addressing security and development challenges.
Beijing’s stance comes as European capitals attempt to balance economic engagement with risk management. European companies remain deeply invested in China, but governments are tightening export controls on sensitive technologies, scrutinizing supply chains and coordinating on security in the Indo-Pacific and the Arctic. Finland, sharing a long border with Russia and now within NATO’s mutual defense umbrella, has emerged as a key voice in Europe’s debate over how to handle China’s ties with Moscow.
For Helsinki, pressing Beijing to distance itself from Russia sits alongside practical cooperation on trade, green technology and the Arctic’s changing environment. For Beijing, Finland offers a window into Europe’s strategic mindset as the continent grapples with war on its periphery and a recalibrated transatlantic relationship.
Whether China engages with Trump’s “Board of Peace” remains an open question. Xi’s remarks suggest that, for now, Beijing intends to anchor its diplomacy in UN mechanisms, even as it tests the boundaries of new groupings and navigates competing pressures from Washington, Moscow and Europe.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
