Poland-China Intergovernmental Committee is a dialogue mechanism within the Polish-Chinese comprehensive strategic partnership. The 3rd plenary session of the Polish-Chinese Intergovernmental Committee, chaired by the ministers of foreign affairs, served as a summary of the deliberations of the ministries, which were carried out in the fourth quarter of 2021. The deliberations where divided into three thematic themes:  people-to-people relations, connectivity and economic cooperation.

During the talks, Minister Rau emphasized that Poland attaches great importance to bilateral cooperation with China. Poland particularly welcomes Chinese greenfield investment. Minister Rau also pointed to the deep asymmetry and the growing Polish trade deficit with China, as the main problem in bilateral relations.

The ministers discussed the need to facilitate and increase the transparency of the approval procedures of admitting Polish goods to the Chinese market, especially agri-food products, but also furniture and cosmetics. The head of the Polish diplomacy pointed to the necessity of including a greater number of Polish companies in the operations of rail transport from China to Europe, which are carried out through the Polish territory. Problems related to the air passenger transport between Poland and China, as well as visa policy for Polish citizens willing to travel to China remain a significant challenge from the Polish point of view.

The Polish side has also presented the position concerning the Russian aggression against Ukraine, including humanitarian and economic consequences of this action. ‘The war in Ukraine has changed the world’s security in an unprecedented way’, said Minister Rau. Despite differences in voting at the United Nations, the ministers agreed that the very foundation of international relations between states is respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Warsaw calls on all nations that respect the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity to condemn in the strongest terms the Russian invasion of Ukraine.   Warsaw calls on all nations that respect the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity to condemn the Russian aggression against Ukraine in the strongest terms.

The parties confirmed their readiness to deepen the dialogue both with regard to the international situation, and within the framework of bilateral cooperation. Both parties expressed openness to hold the next meeting of the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation, initiate its working groups on trade and investment, as well as intensify talks on agricultural matters.

Łukasz Jasina
MFA Spokesperson

 

photo: Sebastian Indra/ MFA