Freight train X8157, the 90,000th China-Europe freight train, heads to Malaszewicze, Poland from Xi'an, capital city of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province on May 25, 2024. Photo: VCG

Editor's Note:

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Poland, Polish President Andrzej Duda has commenced his 5-day state visit to China. As one of the first countries in the world to recognize the People's Republic of China, Poland has a long-standing friendship with China. In recent years, China-Poland relations have progressed smoothly. Global Times reporter Ma Tong (GT) recently interviewed former Polish deputy prime minister and economy minister Janusz Piechocinski (Piechocinski), discussing the achievements, advantages, and potential of bilateral economic and trade cooperation.



GT: How do you assess the development of China-Polish relations in the past years and the significance of President Duda's visit to China?

Piechocinski: President Duda's visit takes place amid an important anniversary - the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Poland. Poland was among the first nations to recognize the establishment of the People's Republic of China and we quickly established very good relations since then.

It is worth recalling that over these 75 years, our relations remained consistently friendly and robust, regardless of whether Central and Eastern Europe, including Poland, were part of the Warsaw Pact or the Council for Mutual Economic Cooperation, or later, after the changes at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, became members of North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union.

Warsaw, the capital of Poland, hosted diplomatic meetings between Chinese and US officials during the normalization of their relations in the 1970s. In a significant event at the Royal Castle in Warsaw in 2012, China proposed fostering friendly and partnership relations with Central and Eastern Europe.

In 2016, Warsaw had the honor of hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping, and during the very successful Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, another meeting of the presidents took place. This is how the strategic partnership between China and Poland was born and strengthened.

The decisions made by the Presidents and Governments of China and Poland were effectively followed in the implementation of the Strategic Partnership through diplomatic channels, business endeavors, organizations, and the collaborative efforts of numerous individuals - both Polish and Chinese. They have actively contributed to fostering and enriching the ever-evolving relationship between our two nations.

As an active participant in this process through various roles — from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of the Republic of Poland for nearly 20 years, to a Polish parliamentarian and leader of the Polish People's Party, which has maintained friendly relations with the Communist Party of China since 1956, and since 2016, as President of the Polish-Asian Chamber of Commerce and Industry — I would like to emphasize the significance of the upcoming Leaders' meeting between China and Poland for many Polish people and their Chinese counterparts in politics, business, local government, and culture.

Interest in Chinese culture and history is burgeoning in Poland, many Polish students are learning Chinese and linking their professional and personal future with China. Polish people are curious about China, and they are eager to engage and establish diverse forms of cooperation with China.

On the other hand, not only in politics, diplomacy, and business, the Chinese are starting to look at our country with more interest.

Janusz Piechocinski,former Polish deputy prime minister and economy minister Photo: Courtesy of Janusz Piechocinski

GT: What, in your view, are the highlights of the economic, trade, and cultural exchanges between China and Poland in recent years?

Piechocinski: In this celebrating year for China-Polish relations, I would like to underscore what a great role the Chinese diaspora in Poland plays in strengthening friendship and relations, with which our Chamber has been cooperating for years.

This year, we also celebrated important anniversaries with productive meetings and discussions in Poland - the 30th anniversary of the foundation of GD Poland Distribution Center, the largest Chinese shopping center in the EU, the 25th anniversary of the Chinese Association in Poland, and the 5th anniversary of the Chinese-Polish Chamber of Commerce.

It is people from these organizations and companies who greatly enrich the efforts of successive Chinese ambassadors in Warsaw. They facilitate partner engagements, promote cultural exchange encompassing language, cuisine, and medicine, and actively seek new avenues for bilateral cooperation. They are great ambassadors of Chinese-Polish relations and affairs.

The Chinese community in Warsaw has been doing such great work for years. In the past month alone, in collaboration with the Chinese-Polish Chamber of Commerce, we organized a photography exhibition in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang Province, to celebrate the establishment of the 75th Anniversary of China-Poland diplomatic relations.

Moreover, multiple events were held in Warsaw, such as major gatherings for the Dragon Boat Festival, social welfare activities, and sports competitions for Children's Day, contributing to deepening mutual understanding and our firm friendships. 

Looking ahead, the Asian Culture Festival in Poland is scheduled for the end of August. These increasing engagements demonstrate how the Presidents' decisions to enhance cooperation provide opportunities and momentum for our business and cultural interactions.

GT: How do you assess the accomplishments of China-Poland economic cooperation? What are the areas in which the two countries could strengthen cooperation?

Piechocinski: Today, China stands as Poland's second largest trading partner, following closely behind our neighbor Germany. China is also an important investor in Poland, currently ranking 7th in terms of employing Polish citizens through its enterprises operating in Poland. Notably, a significant portion of Poland's imports originate from China, encompassing devices, parts, and components vital to Polish industries.

Poland ranks as the 6th largest economy in the EU and the 20th to 22nd globally, and is the leader of Central and Eastern Europe, with great economic potential driven by industrial sectors and a thriving agriculture industry known for healthy products. Poland also has significant export potential in meat, grains, dairy, fruits, and vegetables.

Moreover, Poland serves as a pivotal transport hub along the Belt and Road Initiative across the Eurasian continent. It facilitates the distribution of Chinese products not only through rail transport along the China-Kazakhstan-Russia-Poland-Germany route but also along the Western Europe Silk Road. Along the Baltic Sea, the Gdansk-Gdynia port complex in northern Poland leads in container transshipment, regularly welcoming container ships from China's COSCO Shipping Group.

In addition to China's leading companies, Poland also hosts over 3,500 small and medium-sized Chinese enterprises. This number continues to grow steadily, with an expected increase of over 300 more this year alone.

It's noteworthy to highlight the great potential of the GD Poland Distribution Center, where over 2,000 Chinese-funded companies distribute Chinese products. This hub attracts more than 12,000 wholesale buyers from Central Europe daily. 

By reinforcing these positive trends, we signal to Polish companies in the initial stage of venturing into China and Asia to seize the potential of partnerships, which are poised to offer reliable business collaboration, mutual Polish-Chinese cultural understanding, and business operational expertise to ensure seamless engagement without setbacks.

And to the next wave of potential exporters from China to the EU, we encourage you to leverage the expertise of your compatriots familiar with Poland and the EU. We would like to extend our gratitude to the Chinese authorities for opening its domestic market to Polish blueberries and beef, and let's seek solutions for our poultry, fruits, and vegetables. 

In my view, China and Poland have highly complementary economies, leading to the vast potential for bilateral economic and trade cooperation. The landscape of our cooperation is also evolving, new areas for trade cooperation on the Polish side include cosmetics, medicines, and information technology.

China, the world's largest factory, has amazed everyone with its remarkable development over the past decades. China is becoming a global leader not only in the traditional industrial sectors but also in sectors of cutting-edge technologies, process automation, as well as the field of efficient and optimized energy utilization with a growing share of renewable energy sources and solutions. 

Today, every reasonable observer expects a minimum of 5-percent economic growth in China in 2024, as the country's economic status means not only substantial exports but also promising domestic market demand, which will also offer vast business potential for foreign enterprises.