China-Poland Belt and Road Cooperation and Logistics Infrastructure Investment Forum
On July 13, the China-Poland Belt and Road Cooperation and Logistics Infrastructure Investment Forum was held in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Zhang Dejiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, who was visiting Poland, Kuchczyński, Speaker of the Sejm of Poland, and Morawiecki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Finance of Poland, jointly attended the opening ceremony and delivered keynote speeches. Xu Jian, Chinese Ambassador to Poland, presided over the opening ceremony. More than 230 government and business representatives from China and Poland in the fields of infrastructure investment, transportation and power, maritime logistics, information and communication, construction machinery, railway transportation, and finance attended the forum. The forum was jointly hosted by the Ministry of Commerce of China and the Ministry of Economic Development of Poland, and co-organized by the China International Contractors Association and the Polish Investment and Trade Agency.
In his keynote speech, Zhang Dejiang stated that in June 2016, President Xi Jinping and President Duda unanimously decided to upgrade China-Poland relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, injecting strong momentum into the in-depth development of bilateral relations. In recent years, thanks to the joint efforts of the governments, enterprises, and various sectors of society of both countries, and especially with the support and impetus of the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Central and Eastern European Cooperation mechanism, bilateral economic and trade cooperation has continuously moved to higher levels and broader areas. Poland is an important partner of China in the EU and Central and Eastern Europe. The development strategies of both sides are highly compatible, and their complementary economic advantages are becoming increasingly prominent. There is enormous potential and broad prospects for deepening mutually beneficial cooperation within the existing framework. With the increasing scale of China-Poland trade, investment activities, and people-to-people exchanges, higher demands are being placed on the carrying capacity of logistics, transportation, and port infrastructure. China is willing to encourage strong and reputable enterprises to participate in the construction of logistics infrastructure projects in Poland, including highways, railways, ports, airports, warehousing, and industrial parks.
In their keynote speeches, Polish Sejm Speaker Kuchczyński and Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Finance Morawiecki highly praised the traditional friendship between the two countries and the development of bilateral relations. They expressed their willingness to deepen cooperation with China in various fields within the framework of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Poland and China, through the China-Central and Eastern European Countries and the Belt and Road Initiative cooperation platform, making Poland a window for China to enter Europe. They believed that this forum played a significant supporting role in developing bilateral cooperation and welcomed Chinese enterprises to Poland to carry out comprehensive infrastructure cooperation with Polish enterprises to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.
The forum was divided into two parts: an opening ceremony and a business exchange and matchmaking session. Fang Qiuchen, President of the China International Contractors Association (CICA), spoke during the business exchange and matchmaking session, highlighting the participation of Chinese enterprises in international infrastructure cooperation and infrastructure projects in Poland. He also discussed the opportunities and prospects for Sino-Polish logistics infrastructure cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and offered specific suggestions for further strengthening bilateral logistics infrastructure cooperation. Senger, Executive Deputy Director of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, along with senior executives from Chinese companies such as China Railway Corporation, China Railway Construction Corporation, China Road and Bridge Corporation, CATIC, and DLG Group, as well as representatives from the Polish Central Transport Ports, Polish Railways, the Polish Ministry of Maritime Economy and Inland Waterway Transport, and financial institutions including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, China-Central and Eastern Europe Financial Corporation, and the Polish Development Fund, delivered speeches and exchanged views from different perspectives and fields. Xin Xiuming, Vice President of CICA, and Senger, Deputy Director of the Polish Investment Agency, co-chaired the business exchange and matchmaking session of the forum.
This forum is a concrete action to implement the Memorandum of Understanding on Strengthening Investment Cooperation in Logistics Infrastructure signed during President Xi Jinping's visit to Poland last year. The forum enhanced exchanges and coordination between the industries of China and Poland, laying the foundation for further practical cooperation in the field of logistics infrastructure.
