The visit takes in several cities in various locations in China, and began Thursday last week.

As of Monday afternoon, two of the MPs included in the group: Deputy Riigikogu Speaker Toomas Kivimägi (Reform), who heads the delegation, and Helmen Kütt (SDE), were unreachable when ERR attempted to contact them via phone.

However, Kivimägi subsequently provided a written statement Monday evening, in which he said: "Estonia and China have diplomatic ties."

Parliamentary friendship group visits to partner countries are standard practice for Riigikogu MPs, Kivimägi added.

There is also an element of realpolitik at play.

"Arising for this – but for pragmatic reasons – active engagement with China remains very important. This also presents an opportunity to present Estonia's viewpoints," the MP continued.

Kivimägi said these include the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which China has maintained a relatively ambivalent stance on.

"Of particular focus will be the war in Ukraine, which will be highlighted in every meeting. We see a much greater potential and role for China in bringing the war to an end, than has been realized so far," Kivimägi noted.

He added that the delegation members had met with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Estonia's Ambassador to China ahead of the trip.

The Estonia-China parliamentary friendship group visit follows an invitation from Chinese Ambassador to Estonia Guo Xiaomei, the Riigkogu's press service told ERR.

Its main aim is "to discuss various areas of Estonia-China relations and to maintain pragmatic dialogue between the two countries amid the current complex geopolitical situation," the office added.

On the itinerary is meetings with representatives of the National People's Congress, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and local government officials at meetings in Beijing, Zhangjiajie, Hunan province; and in the southeast, Shenzhen and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The delegation will visit with various private sector firms also.

The Riigikogu said the he Chinese side is covering local accommodation and transportation costs, adding that the final details of who pays for what will be arranged once the trip is over, and that the "partial reimbursement of expenses by the host country is standard practice for Riigikogu members' visits."

Toomas Kivimägi said Riigikogu members' expenses would cover the return flights plus 50 percent of their daily expenses.

"The host will cover accommodation and in-country transportation costs in China," he added.

"The local host is the China Institute of International Studies," Kivimägi went on, putting the figure of meetings taking place during the entire trip at around 10.

Kivimägi also mentioned that the itinerary includes a meeting with the Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation, Mattias Lentz, and Estonia's Ambassador to China, Hannes Hanso, who is also to take part in a significant proportion of the delegation's itinerary.

The Riigikogu press service announced last week that the visit began Thursday, August 29, and is to last until September 9, though some members of the delegation were to return to Estonia earlier.

In addition to Kivimägi and Kütt, MPs Andrei Korobeinik (Center), Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart (Center), Lauri Laats (Center), and Mart Maastik (Isamaa) are attending.

Kivimägi also said the visit was extended by a day due to the high airline ticket costs on the day members originally wished to return to Estonia.

ERR had sent written questions to Kivimägi, Kütt, and the Riigikogu press service on Thursday morning, ahead of the trip, but did not receive responses until Monday afternoon of this week.

Beijing's position on the Russian invasion of Ukraine since February 2022 has by its public statements been seen as somewhat ambivalent, from a western perspective, seeing the enlargement of NATO as one cause of the war, but also calling for maintaining Ukraine's territorial integrity. The PRC, a UN Security Council permanent member, has not openly condemned the invasion, however, and has abstained during UN votes on the matter.

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