Poland eyes enhanced ties, cooperation with China: FM

Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski has said that his country is ready to expand cooperation and boost mutually beneficial economic ties with China.

"More so now than ever before, the fate of Europe and Asia is intertwined, with our interdependence irreversible," the minister said in a recent article titled "Amber and Silk: There is so much more we can achieve together," ahead of his official visit to China on April 23-27.

"Together, we can deepen economic cooperation, commerce, and the flow of goods, services and ideas," said Waszczykowski, adding there were many areas for the two countries to work on together, including transport, urban management, hi-tech, mining and tourism.

Just as important is intellectual exchange between Polish and Chinese universities, which could provide fertile ground for greater cooperation between the two sides, the minister added.

In the article, the minister also hailed the sound development of bilateral relations between the two countries over past years, noting President Andrzej Duda's visit to China last year and his attendance at the 16+1 summit in Suzhou in east China was a reminder that Poland's new government is intent on tightening political and economic relations with China.

"These developments demonstrate the burgeoning global dimension of Polish foreign policy, which has a special focus on Asia and China in particular," he said.

Meanwhile, the application of Poland for membership in the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as the only country from Central and Eastern Europe clearly confirmed the country's intentions to contribute to Euro-Asian development projects, he added.

The minister also expressed strong interests in China's initiative on the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

Poland has already established transportation connections with China on the sea, in the air and on land, said the minister. "With this in mind, we support China's plan to create new transport links between Asia and Europe, based on the former Silk Road," he said.

Waszczykowski said Poland is perfectly suited to become a logistics center for this ambitious initiative and act as an ambassador in relations between China, Central and Eastern Europe and the European Union.

"Poland intends to take full advantage of its geographical location, situated as it is on the crossroads between East and West, North and South," the minister said, "Our message is clear: we want to bridge the physical as well as cultural distance between our regions."

Meanwhile, the minister also stressed that economic interdependence alone is not enough, as Asian and European countries also have a shared interest in tackling problems together that threaten their security and wider stability.

"These include corruption and climate change but also terrorism, piracy and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," said the minister, adding that cooperation between Poland and China should be rooted in political dialogue and mutual understanding. Endi