Poland willing to participate in Belt and Road Initiative

Poland wants to cooperate with China in China's Belt and Road Initiative, experts say.

The Belt and Road Initiative is a development strategy started by the Chinese government in 2013. It refers to the New Silk Road Economic Belt, which will link China with Europe through Central and Western Asia, and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which will connect China with Southeast Asian countries, Africa and Europe.

Figures from China's customs show that in 2014, the bilateral trade volume of Poland and China reached 17.2 billion dollars. Poland is China's largest trade partner in CEE countries, and the 9th largest partner in the European Union.

Slawomir Majman, president of the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, says that China and Poland are now facing quite important historical moments. Especially regarding the One belt one road initiative, people in Poland are very dedicated to the idea of large logistics and transportation projects.

"China's initiative to strengthen the economy along the Silk Road is very much in our interest, because Poland is interested in operating in the Euro-Asia region, with our trade and investment, we are very interested to be much more active in Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and all the countries along the Silk Road," he says. "Why not develop arm in arm with Chinese partners."

Ignacy Morawski, an associate of Polish thinktank demosEuropa, says China and Poland could cooperate in the financing capital and long-term capital. Poland would like to bring in China's capital to invest into some long term infrastructure projects, just like what China is now investing in Britain.