China | The Coalition’s Grahn-Laasonen and Sdp’s Mäkynen warn of dependence on China: “We should be able to critically examine projects targeting Finland”

in Finland should consider updating the China strategy after the start of the war in Ukraine, say the chairman of the parliament’s economic committee, the coalition Sanni Grahn-Laasonen and committee member, Sdp’s Matias Mäkynen.

“The most natural place for this would be in connection with the next foreign and security policy report, but perhaps the need is sooner. There could be a broader analysis of the topic,” Grahn-Laasonen suggests.

The foreign and security policy report is a parliamentary tool with which the parliament defines Finland’s guidelines for the relevant policy areas. The latest one was completed in 2020 and the one before that in 2016.

During the next term of office, renewing the report would be timely in any case due to the changed world political situation.

Attitude However, China is not only a foreign and security policy issue.

“It largely also applies to business life, science, research and innovation,” Grahn-Laasonen also reminds.

He sees that, along with the foreign and security policy report, Finland could consider a separate update of the China strategy under the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“In this kind of strategy work, the subject could be dealt with more broadly from different angles.”

Matias Mäkynen also considers this a possible approach.

“After all, Finland has an Africa strategy prepared in this way, and the China strategy would certainly have its basis as well.”

in Europe Germany in particular has taken its relations with China under scrutiny. The country is currently preparing a foreign minister Annalena Baerbockin under the leadership of the China strategy, the purpose of which is to reduce Germany’s and at the same time the rest of the EU’s economic dependence on China.

Read more: Germany plans to break away from its dependence on China, although it could be six times more expensive than Brexit and would shake the whole of Europe

Germany’s decision is based on China’s dependence, which is significantly greater than Europe’s dependence on Russia.

Whereas fossil fuels have been brought to Europe from Russia, which in the coming years will in any case be increasingly relegated to the background due to the green transition, China has a huge amount of production critical to the European economy in its hands.

According to the European Commission, for example, no less than 98 percent of rare earth metals are currently imported into Europe from China.

Read more: Unpredictable China would bring the EU to its knees in an instant – This is how a dependency was created that can plunge Europe into the “technologically Stone Age”

Mäkysen According to him, the opening of Germany is necessary, but he would make decisions on the subject primarily at the EU level. This is also emphasized by Grahn-Laasonen.

However, according to Mäkynen, Finland must be able to make decisions regarding China, even if the EU does not reach an agreement on the subject.

“Primarily, the EU should act in this matter as uniformly as possible, it would be in the interest of the entire EU. With regard to some critical dependencies, this work has already been started,” says Mäkynen, referring to the EU’s strategy for critical raw materials, for example.

“But there are also situations where we have to stay away from making decisions nationally and which are not even related to the competence of the EU. For example, we should be able to critically examine Chinese projects aimed at Finland.”

Mixed Grahn-Laasonen and Mäkynen are emphatically cautious in their comments on the subject. Both of them say that there should be more discussion on the subject in Finland in general.

“This time has shocked us all: the friend of free trade and market economy is now living through difficult times. I would hope and consider it good that there would be a wider discussion about geopolitical risks in the parliament and elsewhere than in closed committees, without exaggerations,” says Grahn-Laasonen.

He reminds that the situation is not black and white.

“It’s easy to see China as either a huge market opportunity or a complete withdrawal is required. I would hope that there were shades between them as well.”