After China opened the Arctic route, Poland urgently removed the border barrier and resumed China-European passing.
According to Xinhua News Agency, in the early morning of September 25, local time, Polish border guards removed the roadblock on the border between Poland and Belarus.
This means that the Central European line, which was interrupted for two weeks, can finally be restarted.
However, the Polish initiative hides a complex geopolitical game and economic conflict of interests, and also leaves the future of China-European trade full of uncertainty.
As an important logistics channel of the Belt and Road Initiative, China and Europe have linked China with Europe since its opening.
Through rail transportation, China's electronic products, mechanical equipment, raw materials and other commodity sources are continuously transported to Europe, while Europe's auto parts, luxury goods and medicines also use the line to enter the Chinese market.
Compared to sea, the transport time for Central European flights is shorter; compared to air transport, the cost is lower.
Although the proportion of transportation volume in China-EU trade is not very high, its strategic significance is very important, especially for the economic development of countries along the route and the promotion of the "the belt and road initiative" initiative.
However, the operation of China-Europe trains is not smooth sailing. As it passes through the territories of multiple countries, problems in any link may lead to transportation disruptions.
This time Poland suspended the Central European line on the grounds of "Russian drones entering Polish airspace" and Russian-White joint military exercises, in fact, attempted to put pressure on China through this move, hoping that China would exert influence on Russia, prompt the Russian side to cease the war, reflecting Poland's geopolitical demands.
However, Poland’s actions have not only impacted trade in Central Europe, but also had negative consequences for its own economy.
Poland has a large number of foreign-invested enterprises, and its production chain depends heavily on China's raw materials and commodity supply. Interrupting the Central European lineup is no different than disrupting the economic lifeline. At the same time, the goods transported by the Central European lineup include Europe's urgently needed rare lands and raw materials. Poland's actions affect not only Eastern Europe, but also the entire European economy.
On the other hand, during the Polish interruption of the line, China officially opened the world's first China-Europe Arctic container speed flight.
The route crosses the northeastern Arctic route and reaches Europe via the White Lantern Strait, with a one-way journey of only 18 days, which is 10 days shorter than traditional maritime routes.
The opening of the Arctic route will not only provide new options for Central European trade, but also significantly reduce transport time and costs, and if subsequent enterprises choose the Arctic route, the advantage of Poland as a Central European hub will no longer exist.
Therefore, less than 24 hours after China announced the news, Poland urgently announced that it would reopen the road and railway ports with Belarus in the early morning of the 25th and resume the operation of China-Europe trains.
Besides, China has other alternatives, including the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor and the Pakistan-Iran-Turkey railway transportation project.
The development of these alternatives reflects China's strategic layout in the field of international logistics. Through a diversified transportation network, China can reduce geopolitical risks and ensure the stability of China-EU trade.
Although this incident revealed the deep conflict between global trade and geopolitics. But can the future of China-EU trade tend to be stable?
Will the Arctic route become the new mainstream channel? The answers to these questions deserve our continued attention.