ECONOMY, ECONOMY!
During Xi's visit, leaders of the two countries talked about synergizing development strategies, while the Polish business community is more concerned about what China means for the nation's economy.
Wojciech Mazurkiewicz, a portfolio manager at TFI PZU SA, an investment company, said that his company is looking to invest in corporate bonds in China, and actively seeking business opportunities to facilitate the Chinese investment in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region.
"China is becoming richer and richer. It is also exporting its capital," said Mazurkiewicz. "Apart from being a transportation hub, Poland can be one of the financial hubs in this region for Chinese capital."
Besides finance, an area Xi and Duda vowed to explore, they also agreed that the two countries should expand cooperation in agriculture, telecommunications, environmental protection, advanced technology, aviation and new energy.
Poland has been one of the most robust economies in Europe. With bilateral trade with China reaching 17.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2015, it has become China's largest trading partner in the CEE region, and China Poland's largest in Asia. Expanding economic interaction with the global economic powerhouse of China can be a boon to Poland.
For China, Poland means more than just one country, as experts thought that Xi's trip to the CEE countries should be seen as a whole.
He Maochun, an economic expert at Tsinghua University, said that the CEE countries such as Serbia and Poland are vital junction points along the Silk Road.
As China and the CEE countries are at similar economic development stages and have a long history of cooperation, their development needs are strongly complementary, noted the economist.
With a clear outlook and a smooth cooperation mechanism that has already been in place, the CEE nations can serve as China's bridges towards western Europe, he added.
In his talks with Xi, Duda said that Poland stands ready to become a portal to Europe for the world's second largest economy.
Addressing Monday's trade forum, Xi said China is capable of maintaining a healthy growth rate for its economy, and welcomes other countries to hitch a hike on the Chinese express train of development.
Poland is also one of the first countries to recognize the People's Republic of China and establish diplomatic ties with it. Under such a backdrop, Xi called on the two countries to build their partnership into a paradigm of cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
The two sides, during Xi's stay, lifted their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Xi has already visited Serbia, and from Poland, he will travel to Uzbekistan, which sits on the ancient Silk Road and is an important country along the Silk Road Economic Belt, for a state visit.
He will also attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent.
