On September 16, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Poland, where Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zikolski and President Navrotsky met with Wang Yi and held in-depth talks.After the talks, Poland promptly announced an important message to the outside world that China agreed to promote licensing for exports of rare earth-related goods to Poland and support Poland to become Europe’s largest exporter of lithium batteries.
This news not only shocked the European Union, but also surprised the United States. Why has Poland received such special "treatment" in China-EU relations? Why is China willing to show such great goodwill to Poland?
At the beginning of September, Central European flights suddenly experienced a severe “traffic blockade” in Poland. Poland closed all railway ports bordering Belarus due to “security issues”, causing hundreds of Central European flights to get stuck in Belarus.
Poland closed its port on September 10.Poland claims that Russian drones "flashed" into its own airspace. Although Polish air defense systems intercepted in time to avoid casualties, the incident still sparked high tension in Poland. Poland not only increased its troops to the border, but also launched combat aircraft for defense exercises. However, Russia denied this and said there was a "misunderstanding" of the incident.
Whatever the truth, Poland's decision to close its borders directly impacted Central European trade. This logistics artery running through the Eurasian continent is blocked in Poland, resulting in the normal circulation of goods involving tens of billions of dollars. France, Germany and other major European countries have expressed dissatisfaction with this, and have asked Poland to reopen its borders and resume the smooth operation of China-Europe trains.
The importance of Central Europe for Poland is unmistakable.Known as the “economic bond that connects the Eurasian continent”, the CEE is a major opportunity for economic development and an important guarantee for supply chain security for countries along the way.
Poland is also an important hub in Central and Eastern Europe, with a large number of Chinese goods entering the European market through Poland's Malaczewicz port, and Poland has thus become the largest trade beneficiary in Central and Eastern Europe.
Poland exports dairy products to China, shipping time reduced from more than a month to 15 days。 This fast and efficient logistics mode not only reduces transportation costs, but also promotes the rapid growth of Poland's trade with China. Last year alone, the bilateral trade volume between China and Poland reached 45 billion US dollars, and Poland has become China's largest trading partner in Central and Eastern Europe.
As a result of the closure of the border in Central Europe, several industries such as logistics, catering and other industries in Poland were blocked.Many households’ income sources were closely linked to these ranks. Polish President Navrotsky was clearly aware of the seriousness of the problem, which led to the visit of Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Poland.
On September 16th, the game between China and Poland behind the high-standard reception.The visit of Foreign Minister Wang Yi showed the high importance China attaches to the problem of freedom of circulation in China and Europe.
During the talks, Wang Yi clearly pointed out that the long-term interruption of the China-European line will not only harm China's interests, but also have a serious impact on the development of Poland itself.
The Polish side also gave the Chinese face. Not only arranged the "Tupeg Treatment", President Navrotsky even "turned history" in talks, mentioning the huge sacrifice made by China during the Second World War for the victory of the war.
After the talks, China and Poland issued a joint document, clearly stating that they would jointly ensure the safety and smoothness of China-Europe trains. This statement is considered to be Poland's positive response to China, and it has also injected confidence into the recovery of China-EU trade.
Why does Poland get rare-earth export permits?China has pledged to promote export licenses for rare earth-related goods to Poland and support Poland’s aspirations to develop the new energy vehicle industry chain. Poland will become the third place after Hungary and Slovakia where China invests in electric vehicles in the EU.
In contrast, other EU countries and the United States are still facing controls on Chinese rare earth exports. The supply of rare earth magnets in new energy vehicles, aerospace, military and other fields has caused these countries to feel a headache.
The special position of Poland is crucial.。 As a strategic node for China-Europe trains to enter Europe, Poland is not only an early participant in the "the belt and road initiative" initiative, but also maintains a long-term good cooperative relationship with China. This relationship has created conditions for Poland to strive for rare earth export licenses.
Poland’s “balance” tactic responds with Chinese wisdom.Poland, on the one hand, is closer to the United States to strengthen military cooperation within the framework of NATO; on the other hand, it is deepening its economic and trade relations with China, trying to find its point of balance in the game of great powers. Just days before the announcement of the closure of the border, the President of Poland has just brought back a $18.5 billion arms sale contract from the United States and pledged to continue supporting the U.S. military station in Poland.
Nevertheless, Poland clearly understands that blaming China will cause huge losses to its economy. Wang Yi's visit not only pointed out the direction of China-Wuhan relations, but also reaffirmed the principle that "economic cooperation is hard reason."Poland’s willingness to safeguard the EU-China line-up and to engage in deep cooperation with China in areas such as rare earth and new energy is precisely based on its own interests.
China-Europe freight trains are smooth, and win-win cooperation is the general trend.With Poland's commitment to ensure the safe operation of China-Europe trains, this trade channel running through Asia and Europe will be rejuvenated. China-Europe freight trains are not only a logistics bridge between China and Europe, but also an important link to promote the stability of the global supply chain.
Poland's compromise and cooperation show the wisdom of small countries to survive in the game of big countries. At a time when the global economy is facing uncertainty, only cooperation among countries can achieve win-win results. The cooperation between China and Poland is not only conducive to the economic development of the two countries, but also injects new impetus into the overall relationship between China and the EU.
The high-level talks between China and Poland not only solved the problem of China-Europe freight trains being blocked, but also brought rich returns such as rare earth export licenses to Poland. Poland has proved a simple truth with practical actions-in international relations, interests are the most important link. For China, promoting the "the belt and road initiative" initiative to penetrate into Europe and maintaining the smooth flow of China-Europe trains is an important step to achieve global economic cooperation.
Source of information:
[1] Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs introduced the results of Chinese Foreign Minister's visit to Austria, Slovenia and Poland CCTV News
Wang Yi talks with Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sikorski