Finland posted weak performances last year in goods and services trade with China

The weak performance of Finnish goods exports to China continued last year. Finnish Customs reports that the value of Finnish exports amounted 3.4 billion euros, a decrease of 4 % from 2024. China’s share of the countries to which Finland exports also fell to 4.5 %, the smallest share since 2009. Finnish Customs figures show that 56.4 % of Finland’s goods exports last year went to other countries in the EU, 10.4 % to the United States 1.0 % to India, 0.4 % to Russia, 0.2 % to Ukraine and 0.2 % to Taiwan.

The forest industry remains the flagship of Finnish exports to China. Cellulose pulp last year remained the top export item, accounting for 33 % of Finnish exports to China. Wood and paper together accounted for slightly over 4 % of exports. Exports of wood and articles of wood to China has contracted significantly in recent years. Last year’s exports corresponded to just a quarter of record exports in 2017. At the same time, Finnish fur exports to China have cratered, amounting to just 6 million euros last year. Finland’s metal exports to China also plunged in 2025, with the value of nickel exports, the top metal export to China, declining by nearly half. The fastest growing category was electrical equipment (up 18 % y-o-y), boosted mainly by a doubling in exports of electrical power generators. The value of exported chemical products rose by 17 % y-o-y.

Finnish Customs also reports that Finland’s goods imports from China last year amount to 7.1 billion euros, a 5 % drop from 2024. With the general decline in Chinese export prices, the decrease in the volume of Chinese goods imported to Finland was likely smaller than the decrease in value. China’s share of the value of goods imports overall contracted to 9.4 %. Goods imports from Taiwan doubled last year, and Taiwan’s share of imports increased by 2 %. Finnish Customs noted that the EU accounted for 58.3 % of Finland’s goods imports, the US 5.5 %, India 0.7 %, Russia 1.0 % and Ukraine 0.1 %.

Electrical equipment and machinery accounted for over half of Finland’s goods imports from China. Imports of electrical equipment last year saw a particularly steep decline (down 16 % y-o-y), with imports of lithium-ion batteries and smartphones from China decreased markedly. The value of many other import goods, including foodstuffs, clothing, textiles and chemicals, also declined. Moreover, Finland last year imported roughly 1,000 less electric vehicles from China than in 2024, and the decline in value was 20 % y-o-y. Chinese imports may have partly shifted to duty-free low value parcels (less than 150 euros). The delivery volumes of low-value items soared last year. Finnish Customs reports that nearly 40 million low-value packages from China with a total value of 221 million euros were shipped to Finland last year, a 35 % increase from 2024. The EU has decided to eliminate the duty-free status of low-value items. From the start of July, all low-value packages will be subject to a 3-euro customs duty.

Exports of services to China were down 20 % from 2024, when service exports hit an all-time high due to the settlement of a royalty dispute between the Finnish Nokia and several Chinese companies. Finland’s services imports from China were down by 13 %. The breakdown of last year’s services trade will be released later, but current tourism data show that Chinese tourism to Finland continues to recover with 135,000 Chinese visiting last year. However, the number was still roughly 100,000 fewer than in pre-pandemic 2019. The similar trend was also seen in accommodation and lodging.