"Members of the [parliamentary] friendship group are free to decide the format of a visit, so this is more of a question for the members of the delegation," Mihkelson said in a written comment to ERR. "As for the content, I expect full disclosure from delegation members and clear messages about what exactly they discussed in meetings with their Chinese hosts."

Regarding the travel-related expenses, he said that if he were in the parliamentary group members' shoes, he would have refrained from having China pick up the tab for accommodation and transport expenses.

"Although this has been customary in the past, particularly considering China's stance on the war in Ukraine and their views on matters such as NATO enlargement, it would have been better if all the logistics-related expenses of this visit had been covered by us," he explained.

Even so, the committee chair emphasized that friendship or support groups voluntarily formed by MPs have the freedom, as befits a democratic country, to organize their own foreign relations, and that includes the Estonia-China parliamentary friendship group.

"Understandably, MPs must base their conduct on Estonia's foreign policy principles and not contradict our priorities in promoting and protecting our international interests," he said, adding that it is precisely to discuss these topics that the Foreign Affairs Committee organizes a meeting between parliamentary group leaders at least once a year.

"Since February 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale war to destroy the Ukrainian state, it's become clear that in our relations with China, the question of their attitude toward Russia's aggression has been raised," Mihkelson acknowledged.

"Unfortunately, China is not at all a neutral country, but supports Russia's aggression against Ukraine in various ways," he continued. "This makes the visit in question even more sensitive, which is why it's important that MPs unequivocally communicate Estonia's positions regarding Russia's aggression. That said, we must not forget that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba recently visited China, likely to try to influence Beijing to adjust its positions."

Nonetheless, the Riigikogu committee chair also added that he wouldn't overstate the impact of this visit. "What's important is that members of the delegation share as much detail as possible with the public about what occurred during this visit, considering it has garnered a great deal of interest," he underlined.

A six-member delegation from the Riigikogu's Estonia-China parliamentary friendship group on Thursday embarked on a ten-day visit to China, the on-site expenses of which are being covered by the Communist Party-led regime. Estonia is only covering the cost of their plane tickets to China. According to the Riigikogu, it's quite common practice for the host country to cover local expenses.

"Estonia has diplomatic ties with China," Riigikogu First Vice President Toomas Kivimägi (Reform) told ERR on Monday in a written comment regarding the visit. "As a result – but also on pragmatic grounds – active engagement with China remains very important. It is, among other things, an opportunity to present Estonia's positions. The focus of particular attention is, of course, the war in Ukraine, which is intended to be brought up at every meeting. We see China as having much greater potential and [a much greater] role in ending the war than has thus far been the case."

Mihkelson also noted that this fall, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu is planning on keeping a focus on developments in East Asia, as they directly affect Estonia's security.

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