Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said Poland is willing to be an active participant under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, which he says will benefit both countries.[Special Coverage]
The initiative is of key importance to Poland and for the sustainable development of the global economy, said Szydlo, who met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday.
Poland is willing to actively cooperate under the framework of the initiative in areas such as infrastructure, culture, investment, tourism and high technology, which will contribute to trade and connectivity between China and Poland as well as Europe at large, said Szydlo, who has come to Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
Polish experts and entrepreneurs have paid particular attention to the Forum scheduled for May 14-15, hoping for further multi-faceted cooperation with China in a variety of fields.
Szydlo also met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday before Poland and China signed a series of documents on cooperation in tourism and many other areas.
Government spokesman Rafal Bochenek said that the main goal of the intergovernmental agreement on tourism was "to deepen and develop cooperation in this field, to develop tourist traffic and to mutually promote the two countries."
"The Chinese side was interested in Poland's experience as well as its know-how regarding water courses and reservoirs," Bochenek was quoted as saying by the Polish Press Agency.
One of the major issues Szydlo is reportedly set to raise in Beijing is the building of the new Central Polish Airport (CPA), a project by the government, which could also include railway and road connections and possibly fit in the Belt and Road Initiative.
Ryszard Czarnecki, vice president of the European Parliament, and economist Jerzy Bielewicz believe that the CPA project could first focus on cargo transport, and then on the development of fast train railway connections, transport corridors, economic zones and energy infrastructure.
They said that it could be a part of Chinese investment in the region.Meanwhile, Poland could receive funds from the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, given its geopolitical advantage at the crossroads of trade routes.
The Polish Government Information Center said that Poland was interested in discussing Chinese investment and joint implementation of "big infrastructural projects" during the two-day summit.
Meanwhile, the center said Poland hoped more Polish agricultural products could enter the Chinese market.
Krystyna Palonka, an expert from the Poland-Asia Research Center, said in an interview with Polish Radio 24 that Poland could increase exports to China, especially agricultural and food commodities.
Palonka added that the Belt and Road project was an immense investment and a huge strategic vision.
