ABSTRACT
The Sino-Finnish relations have maintained a positively pragmatic character ever since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1950. However, the intensifying great power competition between the United States, China and Russia has caused increasing uncertainties in the traditionally stable and functioning relationship. Many scholars and analysts describe the international system as transitioning from the post-Cold War period into a “New Cold War”, which manifests as a competition between loose and porous technological and economic networks emerging around the leading superpowers, China and the United States. This chapter utilises this framing by examining the Sino-Finnish relationship and its recent developments, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Finland’s NATO membership, as a case study. The chapter analyses Finland as a contested “node” in the networks woven by China and the United States. It narrates the evolution of Finland’s China relations in the “New Cold War” era and discusses the implications of Finland’s NATO membership, both for Finland and for the Alliance.
