Finland’s once-brisk China ties rattled as Russia sanctions fracture travel, trade links
- In the wake of the Ukraine war, Finland has lost some of its connectivity with China as its role as a convenient link to Europe has been diminished
![Previously robust trade and travel ties between Finland and China are being tested, as the European country’s participations in sanctions against Russia have cut off some of its links to the East Asian powerhouse. Photo: Xinhua](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/07/12/bd134fa5-ac55-403c-8708-815cbab5f192_232fba0e.jpg?itok=WY0r4wAH&v=1720777724)
Before the war, Finland had a unique position among European countries as its flights could zip over Russia to China in 9 hours on certain routes, Consul General Timo Kantola told the Post. This made it a natural choice for tourism and business travel, as flights from China to other parts of northern Europe would often take longer or require transfers.
“It’s clear that closing Russian airspace has been a big change for Finnair, and the airline has had to adapt,” he said.
The central Chinese city of Zhengzhou and Helsinki established four weekly direct flights in 2020, but an older Helsinki-Shanghai route has lost 9 per cent of its scheduled flights since 2019. Routes from Helsinki to six other Chinese cities have stopped, according to data from the Cirium consultancy.
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