TOPIC

/ location

Finland

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Finland. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Helsinki

Head of State

President Alexander Stubb

Head of Government

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo

Dara from Bulgaria holds up the trophy after winning the Eurovision grand final in Vienna. Photo: AP

Music

Bulgaria’s Dara wins Eurovision contest, beating out Israel for top spot

The usually good-natured competition has faced a boycott by five countries over the Gaza conflict.

17 May 2026 - 8:59AM

Vietnam

Beyond bamboo: Vietnam’s To Lam mounts a diplomacy offensive

16 May 2026 - 8:00AM

Ukraine war

‘Stay inside’: Finland warns of drone scare near capital Helsinki

15 May 2026 - 5:00PMvideocam

Yuan

How Australia’s mining giants are helping China to globalise the yuan

Mining firms are increasingly using the yuan for financing and settlements, as China pushes to reduce its reliance on the US dollar.

13 May 2026 - 9:00AMvideocam

Cranes unload bauxite ore imported from Australia at a port in China’s eastern Shandong province. Photo: Reuters

Hong Kong science and tech

Top Swedish universities eager to forge ties with city, Hong Kong minister says

Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong says visit aimed at strengthening collaboration in innovation and technology.

13 May 2026 - 8:17PM

ByteDance

ByteDance raises 2026 capex by at least 25% amid AI boom, sources say

ByteDance is allocating a proportionally larger budget to domestic AI chips to mitigate geopolitical risks and heed Beijing’s call.

9 May 2026 - 2:00PM

Diplomacy

The big shift in Xi Jinping’s travel plans and what it means for China

Data analysis by the SCMP reveals a changing dynamic in Beijing towards high-level diplomatic meetings.

1 May 2026 - 6:02AMvideocam

US-EU relations

Exclusive | Territorial integrity is ‘red line’ for Europe, Finland warns after US Greenland threats

Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen insists on the importance of national sovereignty, saying ‘we react through the means we have’.

27 Apr 2026 - 7:07PMvideocam

China-EU relations

Exclusive | China’s Russia ties mean EU trade deal is off the table, Finland says

Tough talk from foreign minister shows the nation could provide a de facto veto on China’s efforts to launch a deal.

23 Apr 2026 - 7:20PMvideocam

2026 Xi-Trump summit

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker 2026

World leaders are flocking to Beijing this year as Trump’s trade war spurs US allies to look for new ties.

15 Apr 2026 - 5:45PM

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: Xinhua

China-EU relations

Europe’s crisis tourism: how the Iran war swallowed the EU’s geopolitical agenda

From trade with China to the Middle East conflict and resulting energy shock, Brussels’ agenda has been repeatedly knocked off course.

31 Mar 2026 - 6:03AMvideocam

Ukraine war

Finland’s president says Ukraine talks may be at ‘end of the road’

He says the war in Iran is ‘drawing a lot of attention away’ from the Ukraine war, and that Ukraine talks are ‘not making further progress’.

26 Mar 2026 - 7:40PMvideocam

European Union

EU inspects Druzhba pipeline in bid to unclog Hungary’s block on Ukraine aid

Hungarian leader Viktor Orban has vetoed giving Ukraine its promised US$103 billion EU loan until Russian oil supply is resumed.

19 Mar 2026 - 6:26PMvideocam

Wellness

World’s ‘happiest’ places revealed as social media weighs on us

Heavy social media use is undermining youth well-being in many countries, according to a UN-sponsored report.

19 Mar 2026 - 2:11PMvideocam

A girl in Sydney uses her phone. Australia restricted young people’s access to social media services late last year. Photo: AP

China-EU relations

EU strips AI, chips and quantum from industrial plan aimed at countering China

Leaked draft shows biotechnology and robotics are other cutting-edge sectors to be cut from Industrial Accelerator Act ahead of unveiling.

4 Mar 2026 - 1:16AMvideocam

While China is directly referred to only twice in 93 pages of legislation and annexes, the act is seen as a crucial prong of Brussels’ efforts to de-risk from the Asian giant. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong property

How a European agent won one of Hong Kong’s most exclusive luxury flat listings

A Finnish national turned a two-week trip into a new career, and now manages high-end listings in one of the world’s top real estate markets.

2 Mar 2026 - 8:30AM

US-China trade war

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker 2026

World leaders are flocking to Beijing this year as Trump’s trade war spurs US allies to look for new ties.

26 Feb 2026 - 10:55AM

Ukraine war

4 years into Ukraine conflict, Zelensky says Putin ‘did not win this war’

The president said Kyiv wanted ‘lasting peace’ and any truce agreement ‘must not simply be signed, it must be accepted by Ukrainians’.

24 Feb 2026 - 8:41PM

Ukrainian troops attend a training session at an undisclosed location in the Zaporizhzhia region on Sunday. Photo: EPA/Press service of the 65th Separate Mechanised Brigade

Crime in Hong Kong

Captain pleads not guilty to damaging Baltic Sea gas pipeline in Hong Kong court

Wan Wenguo, captain of the Hong Kong-flagged NewNew Polar Bear, denies damaging a key gas link between Finland and Estonia in 2023.

11 Feb 2026 - 5:26PM

Greenland

Open Questions | Trump’s ‘imperial’ agenda and the end of the old world order: Luuk van Middelaar

Political theorist says rapid acceleration of the US president’s ‘offensive, almost imperial’ agenda has left Europe disoriented.

9 Feb 2026 - 1:10PMvideocam

Diplomacy

Opinion | American allies are finally hedging against American risk

As US policy becomes more self-centred and unpredictable, traditional allies realise their best bet lies with diplomatic diversification.

3 Feb 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

United States

Outside In | Gradually, then suddenly, the world is waking up to the US threat

Middle powers are pivoting to Beijing and hedging with new partners as China’s economic displacement of the US rapidly expands.

30 Jan 2026 - 4:30PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump raises his fist after a “Board of Peace” meeting at the World Economic Forum annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22. Photo: AFP

US-China trade war

World leaders flock to Beijing in search of trade deals

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be the fifth world leader to visit China this month, as nations seek to increase trade and hedge their reliance on the US.

27 Jan 2026 - 5:19PM

China-EU relations

China’s Xi says major powers must set example as world faces ‘risks, challenges’

‘China and Europe are partners, not rivals,’ President Xi Jinping tells visiting Finnish prime minister.

27 Jan 2026 - 8:24PMvideocam

Mergers & Acquisitions

China’s Anta snags Puma from France’s Pinault family in US$1.8 billion deal

China’s largest sportswear firm is acquiring 29 per cent to become Puma’s biggest shareholder while strengthening its global expansion.

27 Jan 2026 - 5:10PM

China-EU relations

Finland’s leader set for 4-day China visit as Europe seeks to counter Trump

Petteri Orpo to lead executives from more than 20 companies in first China visit by a Finnish prime minister since 2017.

26 Jan 2026 - 4:22PMvideocam

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo is expected to land in China this weekend. Photo: Reuters

Canada

Canada considers sending small contingent of troops to Greenland

Canada’s Carney reviews role in Nato exercises as European allies push back against Trump’s threats to take Greenland.

20 Jan 2026 - 11:49AM

Greenland

Europe prepares retaliation over Trump’s Greenland ultimatum

Eight European countries consider US$108 billion retaliation and ‘anti-coercion’ tools after Trump vows tariffs on Europe over Arctic island.

19 Jan 2026 - 4:00PM

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Finland

Bulgaria’s Dara wins Eurovision contest, beating out Israel for top spot

The usually good-natured competition has faced a boycott by five countries over the Gaza conflict.

Beyond bamboo: Vietnam’s To Lam mounts a diplomacy offensive

‘Stay inside’: Finland warns of drone scare near capital Helsinki

How Australia’s mining giants are helping China to globalise the yuan

Mining firms are increasingly using the yuan for financing and settlements, as China pushes to reduce its reliance on the US dollar.

Top Swedish universities eager to forge ties with city, Hong Kong minister says

Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong says visit aimed at strengthening collaboration in innovation and technology.

ByteDance raises 2026 capex by at least 25% amid AI boom, sources say

ByteDance is allocating a proportionally larger budget to domestic AI chips to mitigate geopolitical risks and heed Beijing’s call.

The big shift in Xi Jinping’s travel plans and what it means for China

Data analysis by the SCMP reveals a changing dynamic in Beijing towards high-level diplomatic meetings.

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Exclusive | Territorial integrity is ‘red line’ for Europe, Finland warns after US Greenland threats

Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen insists on the importance of national sovereignty, saying ‘we react through the means we have’.

Exclusive | China’s Russia ties mean EU trade deal is off the table, Finland says

Tough talk from foreign minister shows the nation could provide a de facto veto on China’s efforts to launch a deal.

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker 2026

World leaders are flocking to Beijing this year as Trump’s trade war spurs US allies to look for new ties.

Europe’s crisis tourism: how the Iran war swallowed the EU’s geopolitical agenda

From trade with China to the Middle East conflict and resulting energy shock, Brussels’ agenda has been repeatedly knocked off course.

Finland’s president says Ukraine talks may be at ‘end of the road’

He says the war in Iran is ‘drawing a lot of attention away’ from the Ukraine war, and that Ukraine talks are ‘not making further progress’.

EU inspects Druzhba pipeline in bid to unclog Hungary’s block on Ukraine aid

Hungarian leader Viktor Orban has vetoed giving Ukraine its promised US$103 billion EU loan until Russian oil supply is resumed.

World’s ‘happiest’ places revealed as social media weighs on us

Heavy social media use is undermining youth well-being in many countries, according to a UN-sponsored report.

EU strips AI, chips and quantum from industrial plan aimed at countering China

Leaked draft shows biotechnology and robotics are other cutting-edge sectors to be cut from Industrial Accelerator Act ahead of unveiling.

How a European agent won one of Hong Kong’s most exclusive luxury flat listings

A Finnish national turned a two-week trip into a new career, and now manages high-end listings in one of the world’s top real estate markets.

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker 2026

World leaders are flocking to Beijing this year as Trump’s trade war spurs US allies to look for new ties.

4 years into Ukraine conflict, Zelensky says Putin ‘did not win this war’

The president said Kyiv wanted ‘lasting peace’ and any truce agreement ‘must not simply be signed, it must be accepted by Ukrainians’.

Captain pleads not guilty to damaging Baltic Sea gas pipeline in Hong Kong court

Wan Wenguo, captain of the Hong Kong-flagged NewNew Polar Bear, denies damaging a key gas link between Finland and Estonia in 2023.

Open Questions | Trump’s ‘imperial’ agenda and the end of the old world order: Luuk van Middelaar

Political theorist says rapid acceleration of the US president’s ‘offensive, almost imperial’ agenda has left Europe disoriented.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | American allies are finally hedging against American risk

As US policy becomes more self-centred and unpredictable, traditional allies realise their best bet lies with diplomatic diversification.

Outside In | Gradually, then suddenly, the world is waking up to the US threat

Middle powers are pivoting to Beijing and hedging with new partners as China’s economic displacement of the US rapidly expands.

World leaders flock to Beijing in search of trade deals

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be the fifth world leader to visit China this month, as nations seek to increase trade and hedge their reliance on the US.

China’s Xi says major powers must set example as world faces ‘risks, challenges’

‘China and Europe are partners, not rivals,’ President Xi Jinping tells visiting Finnish prime minister.

China’s Anta snags Puma from France’s Pinault family in US$1.8 billion deal

China’s largest sportswear firm is acquiring 29 per cent to become Puma’s biggest shareholder while strengthening its global expansion.

Finland’s leader set for 4-day China visit as Europe seeks to counter Trump

Petteri Orpo to lead executives from more than 20 companies in first China visit by a Finnish prime minister since 2017.

Canada considers sending small contingent of troops to Greenland

Canada’s Carney reviews role in Nato exercises as European allies push back against Trump’s threats to take Greenland.

Europe prepares retaliation over Trump’s Greenland ultimatum

Eight European countries consider US$108 billion retaliation and ‘anti-coercion’ tools after Trump vows tariffs on Europe over Arctic island.

Exclusive | Territorial integrity is ‘red line’ for Europe, Finland warns after US Greenland threats

Opinion | American allies are finally hedging against American risk