The POLAND Story

TWO things that come to my mind when Poland is the subject of talk. Start of World War II when Adolf Hitler’s troops invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. And “kielbasa,” the catch-all term for any Polish sausage. History and food. Meanwhile, Poland remains as a chief background take-off of political intrigues in Central Europe, especially between the United States, European Union, and Russia.

       Although Washington maintains its 32nd Air Base and 600 to 800 troops in Poland, the U.S. is not a chief economic partner. Major partners for exports are Germany, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, France and Italy and for imports: Germany, China, Russian Federation, Italy and Netherlands. Which means, Berlin is Warsaw’s top trade buddy, regardless of what went down in World War II.

       Chief industries: Agriculture, manufacturing and mining. Even though agriculture and manufacturing still play a significant role in the country's future, they are slowly losing their positions to the newly emerging industries. Which brings us to China.

       Chinese-Polish economic relations revolve around areas such as finance, agricultural technology, copper industry and coal mining. This also includes new areas like high technology, clean energy, labor, service and infrastructure. 🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱

CONTACTS between Polish and Chinese people date back several centuries, especially in the mid-17th century when mutual trade was very active from 1950s to 1990s. Relations though soured a bit in 2019 when Huawei employee Wang Weijing was arrested in Poland on charges of spying for China. Business, however, carries on.

       China continues to import more Polish agricultural and food products and other high-quality goods. Xi Jinping continually encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest in Poland, adding that he believes Poland will provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises.

       In February this year, China also reiterated its mutual work with Poland to establish a China-Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) wholesale market for agricultural products in Poland and make it a flagship project of China-CEEC cooperation.

       Meanwhile, the United States and Poland have enjoyed warm bilateral relations since 1989. Every post-1989 Polish government has been a strong supporter of continued American military and economic presence in Europe, and Poland is one of the most stable allies of Washington. 🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱