Visit taps potential of practical cooperation

President of Poland Andrzej Duda's five-day state visit to China starting on Saturday looks set to keep bilateral ties on the right track for future healthy development, and inject fresh vitality into the Sino-Polish comprehensive strategic partnership. That is evidenced by the series of cooperation documents signed during his trip, which taps into the potential of the structural complementarity of the two economies by covering a wide range of industries and sectors.

The Polish president's packed Shanghai-Beijing-Dalian itinerary in China consists of meetings with State leaders as well as business representatives and local governors. The agenda is much richer than his previous two visits to China in 2015 and 2022, demonstrating the European country's willingness to strengthen not only its pragmatic economic cooperation, but also strategic coordination with China.

Poland is among the earliest nations to recognize China, and this year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between them. The two sides uphold the tradition of independence, respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and maintain communication on major international issues.

Sharing opportunities and seeking common development is a source of vitality for the China-Poland cooperative partnership. In the past five years, the average annual growth rate of bilateral trade has exceeded 10 percent, and the bilateral trade volume in 2023 is estimated to have reached $42 billion. China has been Poland's second-largest trading partner for many years, and Poland has remained China's largest trading partner in Central and Eastern Europe.

Poland was also one of the first European Union countries to take part in the Belt and Road Initiative. The operation of the China-Europe express freight train services have added great vitality to Poland's economy, strengthening its position as a regional economic and logistics center in Central and Eastern Europe. The upgrading and expanding of bilateral collaboration will see China opening its market wider to Polish products, and a marked rise in Chinese investment in the country as long as the latter can provide a fair and open business environment.

China-Poland cooperation is also a positive force for cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries. Over the past 12 years, China-CEEC cooperation has been continuously deepened and expanded. China expects Poland to give full play to its influence in the CEEC, realize mutual promotion and deepen bilateral and regional cooperation, further consolidate the all-round, multi-level and wide-ranging cooperation pattern between China and CEEC, and promote China-EU ties.

By strengthening their policy communication and strategic synergy, and advancing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, the two countries can foster new growth points for cooperation in green development, the digital economy and other fields, and elevate their relations to new heights.