General Secretary of the Communist Party of Finland: "I believe China has a broad development prospect"

Tina Sandberg has been General Secretary of the Communist Party of Finland since 2018. Her understanding of China began with a discussion within the Communist Party of Finland many years ago. She remembers that during that discussion it was suggested that “we need someone who really understands the changes in China and what is happening there.” Sandberg then volunteered to take on the task and began reading extensively about China.

Sandberg noted that in Europe, there are diverse perspectives when it comes to understanding China. She views the process of learning about China as a form of “collecting,” consistently gathering various insights from her readings. This summer, Sandberg had the chance to visit China for the first time, aligning the knowledge she had accumulated to the actual experiences on the ground. The trip offered valuable insights, enriching her understanding beyond what she had gathered solely through reading.

Sandberg shared with reporters that it was during her visit to China, witnessing the societal transformations firsthand, that she truly comprehended how the Communist Party of China (CPC) has played a pivotal role in steering the country towards prosperity. She said that more members of the Communist Party of Finland would likely travel to China for on-site visits, seeking to gain a genuine understanding of the country through realistic experiences.

Sandberg was notably impressed by her visit to Guizhou in China. Despite the country’s economic progress, the trip showed her the persistent challenges of unbalanced development. She drew parallels between China’s current situation and the development stages Finland went through.

Sandberg found the experience of visiting party schools across China impressive. She believes a key factor in China’s success is the effective training of party members at all levels, which enhances their theoretical knowledge and practical skills. This training enables close engagement with the masses, and helps party members understand how society works. Sandberg noted that many European countries, including Finland, lack similar systems or schools, leading to a limited sense of participation in political life. Despite the high rankings of Finland and other Nordic countries on “democracy lists,” there is a vacuum of engagement in between elections. “My visit to many local party schools in China made me think about how to learn from China’s experience”, she said.

Talking about the white paper “A Global Community of Shared Future: China’s Proposals and Actions,” which was released by the Chinese government not long ago, Sandberg said that she had read many documents and books on Chinese diplomacy in the past, and she was very eager to learn more about the concept of a community of shared future through the white paper.

According to Sandberg, one of the key takeaways from this trip is realizing that many European people are not able to understand China objectively through reading alone, and she’s concerned about the reluctance of Europe in accepting China-proposed initiatives because of prejudices. “The idea of a community of shared future for mankind articulates to the international community a possible bright future for a human society that deserves to be understood by a wider European public, and it is also very much in line with many of the ideas of the Communist Party of Finland.”

Sandberg finds herself in full alignment with the white paper’s assessment of the current international situation, emphasizing that the world should not be treated as an arena of power competition, and that the legitimate security concerns of all nations must be acknowledged. She highlighted that left-wing parties in Europe often differ in their approaches to international issues, but the Communist Party of Finland has consistently fostered dialogue and communication with all parties. In her view, this commitment emphasizes the resolution of differences through constructive dialogue and aligns with the concept of a community of shared future.