The flags of China and Poland are displayed at Tiananmen Square in Beijing to welcome the visit of Polish President Andrzej Duda on June 23, 2024. Photo: VCG

Polish President Andrzej Duda arrived in Beijing on Saturday, starting his state visit to China, which runs from Saturday to Wednesday. Observers said this visit not only helps strengthen China-Poland ties and upgrades the two countries' economic cooperation, but enhanced cooperation with China also helps elevate Poland's influence within the EU.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Duda and his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda came to Beijing on Saturday. They were greeted at an airport in Beijing by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Deng Li and others, China Central Television reported.

During the visit, Xi will hold talks with Duda to map out the future development of China-Poland relations, hold an in-depth exchange of views on issues of common concern and jointly attend the signing ceremony of cooperation documents, Lin Jian, another foreign ministry spokesperson, told a routine press briefing on Thursday.

China is ready to work with Poland to take this visit as an opportunity to deepen political mutual trust, expand exchanges and cooperation in various fields, jointly lead high-quality cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative and China's cooperation with Central and Eastern European countries, and continuously enrich the connotation of China-Poland comprehensive strategic partnership, Lin said.

Ties between China and Central and Eastern Europe remain stable this year, and Poland is eyeing this visit as a way to elevate cooperation in both the political and economic fields, Cui Hongjian, a professor with the Academy of Regional and Global Governance with Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

Enhancing cooperation with China not only benefits Poland's economy, but also helps elevate Poland's influence within the EU, as Warsaw is seeking to expand its influence within the region, said Cui. He noted that although Poland and the US have maintained close contact in recent years, Duda's visit also signals that the Eastern Europe country is seeking balanced diplomacy to also keep close ties with China.

Chinese experts also said that with Beijing and Brussels mired in a complicated relationship, with the EU threatening to wage a potential trade war against China, Poland can play a positive role in negotiating bilateral ties between China and the bloc. 

Poland and the whole of Europe should engage with China in what we have in common, what we can do better, and how we can reap mutual benefits in the modern world by respecting our partners. Starting the conversation with restrictions rather than focusing on constructive dialogue will hinder progress toward problem resolving, and will not lead to a better future for either side, Janusz Piechocinski, former deputy prime minister of Poland, said in an earlier interview with the Global Times.

"China is set to remain a powerful engine of the global economy. Trade wars with China could diminish demand and limit opportunities for trade expansion. We need more cooperation and less confrontation, more practical dialogue aimed at solving rather than aggravating issues through protectionist measures," said Piechocinski.

Experts predicted that the Russia-Ukraine crisis will also be brought up during Duda's visit, as Poland has been throwing its full weight behind Ukraine.

Previously, some foreign media also hyped that the Russia-Ukraine crisis had damaged China's ties with Poland.

Cui brushed off such claims, saying that China has always maintained a fair and just stance amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis, which is obvious to the whole world. Although China's stance on the crisis differs from Poland's, Beijing has maintained close contact with Warsaw since the beginning of the crisis. 

In March this year, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui began a second round of shuttle diplomacy to seek a political settlement to the Ukraine crisis.

Li visited Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Germany and France, as well as the EU headquarters in Belgium.