China, Poland see vast potential for economic cooperation despite global volatility: former Polish PM

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

Editor's note:

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

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

Piechocinski: President Duda's visit takes place on the occasion of an important anniversary: ​​the 75th anniversary of the establishment 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 have quickly established very good relations since then.

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

Warsaw, the capital of Poland, hosted diplomatic meetings between Chinese and American officials during the normalization of relations in the 1970s. At a major event at the Royal Castle in Warsaw in 2012, China offered to foster friendly and partnership relations with Central and Eastern Europe.

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

The decisions taken by the presidents and governments of China and Poland were effectively followed in the implementation of the strategic partnership through diplomatic channels, business efforts, organizations and collaborative efforts of many people, both Polish than 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 ranging from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of the Republic of Poland for almost 20 years, to Polish parliamentarian and leader of the Polish People's Party, who maintained relations friendly 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 importance of the upcoming leaders' meeting between China and Poland for many Poles and their Chinese counterparts in politics, business, local government and culture.

Interest in Chinese culture and history is booming in Poland, with many Polish students learning Chinese and linking their professional and personal futures to China. Poles are curious about China and eager to engage and establish various forms of cooperation with China.

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

Janusz Piechocinski, former Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Photo: Courtesy of Janusz Piechocinski

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

Piechocinski: In this year of celebrating Sino-Polish relations, I would like to highlight the important role that the Chinese diaspora in Poland plays in strengthening the 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 founding of the 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 Sino-Polish Chamber of Commerce.

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

The Chinese community in Warsaw has been doing excellent work for years. Just last month, together with the Sino-Polish Chamber of Commerce, we held a photography exhibition in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang Province, to celebrate the establishment of the 75th anniversary of relations Sino-Polish diplomatic relations.

In addition, many events took place in Warsaw, such as large gatherings for the Dragon Boat Festival, social activities and sports competitions for Children's Day, helping to deepen mutual understanding and our strong friendships.

Looking ahead, the Asian Culture Festival in Poland is planned for the end of August. These growing engagements demonstrate how the presidents' decisions to strengthen cooperation provide opportunities and momentum for our commercial and cultural interactions.

GT: How do you evaluate the achievements of Sino-Polish economic cooperation? What are the areas in which the two countries could strengthen their cooperation?

Piechocinski: Today, China is Poland's second largest trading partner, behind neighboring Germany. China is also a significant investor in Poland, currently ranking 7th in terms of employment of Polish citizens through its companies operating in Poland. It should be noted that a significant share of Polish imports come from China and include devices, parts and components vital to Polish industries.

Poland ranks 6th among EU economies and 20th to 22nd in the world, and is the leader in Central and Eastern Europe, with great economic potential driven by industrial sectors and a thriving agricultural industry known for its healthy products. Poland also has significant export potential in the areas of meat, cereals, dairy products, fruits and vegetables.

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

In addition to major Chinese companies, Poland is also home to more than 3,500 Chinese small and medium-sized businesses. This number continues to grow steadily, with an expected increase of more than 300 additional people this year alone.

It is worth highlighting the great potential of the GD Poland distribution center, where more than 2,000 Chinese-funded companies distribute Chinese products. This hub attracts more than 12,000 wholesale buyers from Central Europe daily.

By strengthening these positive trends, we signal Polish companies in the initial phase of venturing into China and Asia to grasp the potential of partnerships, which are ready to offer reliable business collaboration, Polish-Chinese mutual cultural understanding and commercial operational expertise to ensure smooth and setback-free engagement.

And for 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 express our gratitude to the Chinese authorities for opening their domestic market to blueberries and Polish beef, and are looking for solutions for our poultry, fruits and vegetables.

In my opinion, China and Poland have very complementary economies, which opens up vast potential for bilateral economic and trade cooperation. The landscape of our cooperation is also changing, new areas of business cooperation on the Polish side include cosmetics, medicines and information technology.

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

Today, any reasonable observer expects economic growth of at least 5% in China in 2024, because the country's economic situation means not only substantial exports, but also promising demand from the domestic market, which will also offer vast commercial potential for foreign companies.