China’s armed forces want to promote cooperation with the Finnish Defence Forces.
“Finland was one of the first Western countries to establish diplomatic relations with China. China and Finland have achieved splendid results through their cooperation”, said China’s Minister of Defence Liang Guang to the Chinese news agency Xinhua, after a meeting with Finland’s future Chief of Defence Lt. Gen. Ari Puheloinen in Beijing.
Xinhua mentions technology and training as possible areas of cooperation.
According to the Finnish Defence Staff, cooperation so far has involved exchanges of visits.
“No concrete new forms of cooperation have come out”, Puheloinen said in a message relayed through the Finnish Embassy in the Chinese capital.
Puheloinen, who is currently the Head of Finland's Defence Staff, is on a seven-day visit to China at the invitation of the Deputy Chief of the PLA General Staff, Air Marshal Ma Xiaotian.
Puheloinen takes up his position as Chief of Defence in August, on the retirement of Admiral Juhani Kaskeala.
