Poland still does not use potential of ties with China

The Chinese Covid-19 vaccine could be part of a larger agreement that would open the door to bilateral economic cooperation more widely. Vaccines are important in the current context, but it is about much more important matters, as emphasizes Dr. Bogdan Góralczyk, professor at the University of Warsaw, political scientist and Asian expert, former Polish ambassador.

“Poland is located on the Chinese Silk Road and in its very center. It was the Chinese who drew this plan and indicated somewhere near Łódź what we later called the Central Communication Port. I saw these Chinese maps and from this place, there were roads, highways, railroads, etc. across the continent. We are not aware that in the long Chinese history, Poland has never been in the interest of China. Now it is lying and it would be worth realizing, while our eastern policy still closes somewhere between Bug and Moscow,” Dr. Bogdan Góralczyk said.

China is already the second-largest trading partner for Poland, after Germany, and the value of goods in monthly container traffic is estimated at around PLN 10 billion. According to KUKE data, before the outbreak of the global pandemic, China had more than a 12 percent of share in Polish imports, worth over PLN 125 billion. In turn, the share in exports was just over 1 percent and was worth PLN 11.4 billion.

According to the expert, however, Poland lacks the political will to care for the development of economic cooperation with China. In addition, one of the factors influencing bilateral relations is also ties with the United States, which under Donald Trump's administration initiated a trade war with China.

(Newseria)