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Xi Jinping has high hopes for Poland. Could it be a ‘gateway to Europe’?
- Chinese president offers to ‘support Poland’s effort to become a key point in China-EU industrial and supply chains’ after meeting counterpart Andrzej Duda
- But there has been scepticism in Central and Eastern Europe about partnering with China, and Poland has concerns about the Ukraine crisis
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China has expressed hopes of helping Poland to become a logistics hub and boosting trade with Central and Eastern European countries, as Beijing tries to improve its relations with the region.
President Xi Jinping voiced the aim when he met Polish President Andrzej Duda on Sunday morning in one of a number of diplomatic discussions held during visits by foreign delegations to Beijing for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.
Duda was the only elected European head of state to attend Friday’s ceremony, after several countries announced diplomatic boycotts citing human rights concerns and others opted to miss it over concerns about Covid-19.
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“President Xi expressed China’s readiness to take an active part in Poland’s endeavour to build itself into a logistics hub and to support Poland’s effort to become a key point in China-European Union industrial and supply chains,” a Chinese statement said on Sunday.
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Taiwanese supporters queue up to buy Lithuanian rum held up by mainland China
Taiwanese supporters queue up to buy Lithuanian rum held up by mainland China
The statement said that Xi had hailed relations with Poland as a “true, trusting and sincere friendship” as he promised to expand agricultural, food and other imports from Poland while “encouraging more Chinese enterprises to go to Poland for investment and cooperation”.
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