Xi's Europe trip to boost region's role

Polish president says Chinese leader recognizes area's dynamics and growing importance

President Xi Jinping concluded his state visit to Poland on June 21, the second leg of his three-nation Eurasia tour.

During his stay in Poland, Xi reached agreements with his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda, on promoting economic ties within China's Belt and Road and Poland's Amber Road frameworks, as the two countries seek new markets and frontiers for their development strategies.

The most visually impressive moment of the visit came on the afternoon of June 20, when an express freight train, with whistles blowing, slowly pulled into a cargo terminal in Warsaw. All the containers on board were painted with the uniform logo of China Railway Express.

Xi and Duda witnessed the moment on site, which marked the arrival of the first such trains from China along tracks that go as far as 10,000 kilometers to the coast of the west Pacific.

Duda says Xi's visit to Central and Eastern Europe for the second time in less than three months signals Xi's full recognition of the region's dynamics and importance.

"I have no doubt President Xi perfectly understands the dynamics in this part of the world. We are developing fast, and so is China," Duda says in an exclusive interview on the eve of Xi's visit.

Duda, 44, says Poland had prepared well to welcome Xi and first lady Peng Liyuan on June 19 after Xi's visit to Serbia.

At the end of March, Xi paid a state visit to the Czech Republic, strengthening political ties and signing dozens of economic and trade projects.

Duda, who visited China in November, says: "This second trip (within three months) underlines how important Central and Eastern Europe is becoming for China."

He says he had been deeply impressed by China's thousands of years of history and heritage during his first trip to the country. He stresses that Xi would see Poland and the region as an extremely attractive market, an area of boundless opportunities for deeper economic cooperation.

During Duda's trip to China, the two countries signed a cooperation document on the Belt and Road Initiative, and Poland became a member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Duda adds: "We see this (visit) as an opportunity to find new ways to fund ambitious infrastructure projects in Poland and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe."

He says Poland needs to build more highways and more railroads to form a link between the Baltic Sea and the Balkans, adding that China can play an important role in this.

"We also hope Polish companies will benefit hugely from the Belt and Road Initiative," Duda says, adding that these enterprises have experience and a highly qualified workforce, and he is sure they can establish long-lasting and fruitful partnerships with Chinese companies.

Duda says Beijing is playing an increasingly crucial role in the international arena, many Chinese companies are well known and respected abroad, and China has seen millions of people escape poverty in recent decades.

Contact the writers through fujing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 06/24/2016 page14)