Helsinki to join Beijing in push for free trade

Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila has pledged that his country will join with China in advocating free trade and globalization, even as the concepts come under attack in some parts of the world.

"First of all, free trade is very important," Sipila said ahead of President Xi Jinping's visit to Finland.

Sipila said from his office in downtown Helsinki that he has been preparing for the visit for some time and looking forward to it "very eagerly". He noted that both sides have "a lot of issues" to discuss.