Those Riigikogu members who were a part of last week's delegation which visited China have returned to Estonia for Thursday's opening session of parliament.

Controversy following media reports while the MPs were in China and which centered around Beijing covering part of the trip's costs has led to mixed reactions among delegation participants.

Toomas Kivimägi (Reform), deputy speaker of the Riigikogu, conceded that accepting part coverage from Beijing was not the best optics.

"I will admit this is probably the area where I'm most ready to take on criticism," he told "Aktuaalne kaamera."

Had it been known beforehand that this would become an issue, a solution would likely have been found, Kivimägi said, adding that the delegation he was a part of is likely the last Riigikogu friendship group to travel to the PRC with the expectation that Beijing would part-cover expenses.

Helmen Kütt (SDE), another member of the delegation, said that the MPs visited China with the aim of presenting Estonia's stance on Russia's war on Ukraine, and so that the hosts could better understand this.

Mart Maastik (Isamaa) meanwhile said that Estonia should focus on building relationships and clarifying its positions, adding that so far as he is aware there is no reason to believe that China supports the war in Ukraine or supports Russia on this.

"Their biggest concern has been NATO expansion—they claim NATO is an organization seeking to expand for the purpose of gaining power globally," the Isamaa MP added.

Mastik also called the journalistic approach "strange," when asked whether such an extensive visit, part-funded by Beijing was needed just to comprehend the fact that China's economy is growing.

The pieces published on the topic "felt like they were framed as accusations, as if we had done something wrong," he added.

Maastik noted that while the PRC was concerned its economic growth last year was "only 5 percent," Estonia saw a 3-percent contraction during the same time-frame.

The delegation's itinerary included a trip to the Great Wall of China and to various other attractions, as well as to various companies.

The trip lasted 10 days, and the hosts mainly covered food and accommodation, it is reported.

The Estonia-China Riigikogu friendship group is one of many such groups which partner with other countries.

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