"Yes, I'm skeptical about it now," Reinsalu admitted. "This is a time of major, global confrontations and I think that in a situation where China's views are certainly not broadly in line with what a member of the UN Security Council should be doing to force aggressor Russia to end the war in Ukraine, we should be seriously cautious about the signals [we give]," he added.

The chairman of the opposition Isamaa party said the appropriateness of the visit needs to be discussed in the current political situation.

"I read these comments by the minister for foreign affairs or the speaker of the Riigikogu, it is true that, on the one hand, friendship groups are of course autonomous, but on the other hand, especially on such sensitive issues, prior coordination is important. It seems to me, at least from reading the comments of these other institutions, that this coordination has been insufficient," Reinsalu said.

"If the state had a comprehensive view that this was a rational move, which I would be skeptical about, it would have been clearer. The current domestic controversy gives the impression of a lack of coordination, it is impossible to argue with that," he said.

The six MPs were briefed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before they left and also met with the Estonian ambassador to China Hannes Hanso. 

When ERR raised this point, Reinsalu replied: "Certainly, I have no doubt that the embassy did indeed organize the visit and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was clearly informed. But in the strategic sense, so to speak, about the choices, what the state's foreign policy stance is – whether it is sensible or not – I think the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be more explicit in assisting the Riigikogu."

Asked about the presence of Isamaa MP Mart Maastik on the trip, he said: "He is a member of the friendship group. If the visit of the friendship group was organized in this way, I take note that he was there in the delegation."

But he returned to the coordination of the visit: "Taken in isolation, it is not a question of who was there or who was not there. The question is what is the broader view of the signals given by such visits, and this broader view needs to be more clearly defined. In my view, in the form of a discussion with the Board of the Riigikogu, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the leaders of the friendship groups. It seems to me, reading these public statements, that this debate was not of sufficient quality, if it took place at all."

"But certainly it is important that, as it has happened, we draw conclusions that will be addressed looking forward. And secondly, I hope that those who participated there will also provide clarifications to the public," Reinsalu stressed, in conclusion.

At the end of August, a six-member cross-party delegation of the Riigikogu's China Friendship Group visited Beijing. Expenses within China were paid by the Communist Party, and only the return flights were paid by Estonia.

According to the Riigikogu, on-site expenses are usual paid by the host country.

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