HELSINKI, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Finland's goods exports to China rose 12.9 percent year on year in the first half of 2026, while China accounted for 10.3 percent of the country's goods imports during the period, according to a report released Friday by the Bank of Finland Institute for Emerging Economies (BOFIT).
Among Finland's major exports to China, machinery accounted for 23.5 percent of the total and rose 26 percent year on year, while electrical equipment made up 12 percent and increased 29 percent.
The value of nickel ore exports to China more than doubled, accounting for 5.8 percent of Finland's exports to the country, while pharmaceutical exports tripled and represented 3.9 percent.
Cellulose pulp remained Finland's largest export product to China, accounting for 29.7 percent of the total, BOFIT said.
On the import side, China accounted for 10.3 percent of Finland's goods imports in the first half of this year under a new data collection method introduced by Finnish Customs, making China the country's third-largest source of goods imports after Germany and Sweden.
Finnish companies also have a significant business presence in China. In 2024, about 242 Finnish subsidiaries operating in China employed nearly 58,000 people and generated net sales of 12 billion euros (14 billion U.S. dollars), according to Statistics Finland.
China ranked as the fifth-largest market for Finnish foreign affiliates by net sales, after Sweden, the United States, Norway and Denmark, said Statistics Finland.
The trade data come ahead of the 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade, which will be held in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, from Sept. 8 to 11. Finland and Saudi Arabia will serve as the fair's two Guest Countries of Honour, the first time the event has adopted a dual Guest Countries of Honour mechanism.
