diff --git a/freqtrade/configuration/load_config.py b/freqtrade/configuration/load_config.py
index e18707a99..d3bc91002 100644
--- a/freqtrade/configuration/load_config.py
+++ b/freqtrade/configuration/load_config.py
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ def log_config_error_range(path: str, errmsg: str) -> str:
         offsetlist = re.findall(r"(?<=Parse\serror\sat\soffset\s)\d+", errmsg)
         if offsetlist:
             offset = int(offsetlist[0])
-            text = Path(path).read_text()
+            text = Path(path).read_text(encoding="utf-8")
             # Fetch an offset of 80 characters around the error line
             subtext = text[offset - min(80, offset) : offset + 80]
             segments = subtext.split("\n")
diff --git a/freqtrade/resolvers/iresolver.py b/freqtrade/resolvers/iresolver.py
index b437166e7..b51293615 100644
--- a/freqtrade/resolvers/iresolver.py
+++ b/freqtrade/resolvers/iresolver.py
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ class IResolver:
                 logger.debug("Ignoring broken symlink %s", entry)
                 continue
             module_path = entry.resolve()
-            if entry.read_text().find(f"class {object_name}(") == -1:
+            if entry.read_text(encoding="utf-8").find(f"class {object_name}(") == -1:
                 logger.debug(f"Skipping {module_path} as it does not contain class {object_name}.")
                 continue
 
diff --git a/freqtrade/strategy/strategyupdater.py b/freqtrade/strategy/strategyupdater.py
index 5377865d7..965f6bcd6 100644
--- a/freqtrade/strategy/strategyupdater.py
+++ b/freqtrade/strategy/strategyupdater.py
@@ -66,8 +66,7 @@ class StrategyUpdater:
         target_file = Path.joinpath(strategies_backup_folder, strategy_obj["location_rel"])
 
         # read the file
-        with Path(source_file).open("r") as f:
-            old_code = f.read()
+        old_code = Path(source_file).read_text(encoding="utf-8")
         if not strategies_backup_folder.is_dir():
             Path(strategies_backup_folder).mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
 
@@ -80,8 +79,7 @@ class StrategyUpdater:
         # update the code
         new_code = self.update_code(old_code)
         # write the modified code to the destination folder
-        with Path(source_file).open("w") as f:
-            f.write(new_code)
+        Path(source_file).write_text(new_code, encoding="utf-8")
 
     # define the function to update the code
     def update_code(self, code):
diff --git a/tests/rpc/test_rpc_apiserver.py b/tests/rpc/test_rpc_apiserver.py
index ff66cbf4b..e0944e872 100644
--- a/tests/rpc/test_rpc_apiserver.py
+++ b/tests/rpc/test_rpc_apiserver.py
@@ -2521,7 +2521,9 @@ def test_api_strategy(botclient, tmp_path, mocker):
     assert_response(rc)
     assert rc.json()["strategy"] == CURRENT_TEST_STRATEGY
 
-    data = (Path(__file__).parents[1] / "strategy/strats/strategy_test_v3.py").read_text()
+    data = (Path(__file__).parents[1] / "strategy/strats/strategy_test_v3.py").read_text(
+        encoding="utf-8"
+    )
     assert rc.json()["code"] == data
 
     rc = client_get(client, f"{BASE_URI}/strategy/NoStrat")
diff --git a/tests/strategy/strats/strategy_test_v2.py b/tests/strategy/strats/strategy_test_v2.py
index 58473e9c0..04d218bc6 100644
--- a/tests/strategy/strats/strategy_test_v2.py
+++ b/tests/strategy/strats/strategy_test_v2.py
@@ -14,6 +14,16 @@ class StrategyTestV2(IStrategy):
     Please look at the SampleStrategy in the user_data/strategy directory
     or strategy repository https://github.com/freqtrade/freqtrade-strategies
     for samples and inspiration.
+
+    ---
+
+    Some test asian characters.
+    Ensures that unicode characters are handled correctly when reading strategy files.
+    Otherwise this may break on windows systems.
+    All roughly translate to "hello world".
+        chinese string: "你好世界"
+        korean string: "안녕하세요,세계"
+        japanese string: "こんにちは、世界"
     """
 
     INTERFACE_VERSION = 2
diff --git a/tests/strategy/strats/strategy_test_v3.py b/tests/strategy/strats/strategy_test_v3.py
index e87810111..993b04d4b 100644
--- a/tests/strategy/strats/strategy_test_v3.py
+++ b/tests/strategy/strats/strategy_test_v3.py
@@ -23,6 +23,16 @@ class StrategyTestV3(IStrategy):
     Please look at the SampleStrategy in the user_data/strategy directory
     or strategy repository https://github.com/freqtrade/freqtrade-strategies
     for samples and inspiration.
+
+    ---
+
+    Some test asian characters.
+    Ensures that unicode characters are handled correctly when reading strategy files.
+    Otherwise this may break on windows systems.
+    All roughly translate to "hello world".
+        chinese string: "你好世界"
+        korean string: "안녕하세요,세계"
+        japanese string: "こんにちは、世界"
     """
 
     INTERFACE_VERSION = 3
diff --git a/tests/test_strategy_updater.py b/tests/test_strategy_updater.py
index 48f1d27d7..3c53f425e 100644
--- a/tests/test_strategy_updater.py
+++ b/tests/test_strategy_updater.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ def test_strategy_updater_start(user_dir, capsys) -> None:
     tmpdirp = Path(user_dir) / "strategies"
     tmpdirp.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
     shutil.copy(teststrats / "strategy_test_v2.py", tmpdirp)
-    old_code = (teststrats / "strategy_test_v2.py").read_text()
+    old_code = (teststrats / "strategy_test_v2.py").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
 
     args = ["strategy-updater", "--userdir", str(user_dir), "--strategy-list", "StrategyTestV2"]
     pargs = get_args(args)
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ def test_strategy_updater_start(user_dir, capsys) -> None:
     # updated file exists
     new_file = tmpdirp / "strategy_test_v2.py"
     assert new_file.exists()
-    new_code = new_file.read_text()
+    new_code = new_file.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
     assert "INTERFACE_VERSION = 3" in new_code
     assert "INTERFACE_VERSION = 2" in old_code
     captured = capsys.readouterr()