From 2 to 7 February 2026, a five-member delegation led by Professor Timo Vesala and University researcher Xuefei Li from the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR), University of Helsinki, visited China for a series of exchanges on terrestrial carbon monitoring, flux observations, data quality assurance, and coordination across observation networks. Director General Dr. Hannele Laine (Integrated Carbon Observation System, ICOS ERIC) and Prof. Janne Rinne (Natural Resources Institute Finland, LUKE) and MSc. Yaqi Liu from the University of Helsinki were invited to join this visit. The visit was supported by a Finland–China collaboration project funded by the Research Council of Finland.
From 2 to 4 February, the delegation took part in the China–EU Frontier Technology Seminar on Carbon Observation hosted by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAP, CAS) in Beijing. The meeting brought together experts from Chinese institutions, including representatives from the China Meteorological Administration, the Chinese Academy of Forestry, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Discussions focused on strengthening carbon-observation networks, improving high-precision measurement capabilities, translating observational data into applications, and shaping priorities for future China–EU collaboration. Prof. Hannele Laine provided an overview of ICOS, while Prof. Timo Vesala shared practical experience from the mature, standardised and long-term ICOS observation network. Technical exchanges also covered emerging directions such as AI-enabled carbon inversion, practical flux-measurement solutions for diverse field settings, methane monitoring, and the WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) programme.
Following the seminar, the delegation visited the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGSNRR, CAS) for a roundtable with Academician Guirui Yu and colleagues from ChinaFlux. Discussions drew on operational experience from ICOS and ChinaFlux and focused on practical steps toward interoperability, including harmonising indicators and metadata, enabling inter-site benchmarking and cross-calibration, and strengthening data products and data-sharing mechanisms. The delegation also toured the National Ecosystem Science Data Center of China to exchange views on data resources and platform development.
After completing the Beijing schedule, Hannele Laine concluded her visit in Beijing, while the remaining delegation members continued to Yunnan. From 5 to 7 February, they visited the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences (XTBG, CAS) and met with Vice Director Zexin Fan and colleagues. The exchange highlighted priorities and ongoing work on global change research and plant ecophysiology, as well as European experience in site design, quality control, and data sharing for long-term integrated observations. The visit included field tours of key research infrastructures, including a rubber-plantation flux tower and tropical rainforest canopy crane, providing a first-hand view of experimental and monitoring capacity for carbon–water processes in tropical ecosystems.
Overall, the visit strengthened mutual understanding and helped identify practical avenues for continued cooperation on shared infrastructure, standards, joint research, and training and mobility opportunities for early-career scientists and graduate students.