China, Poland reach consensus at intergovernmental committee meeting

 

 

WARSAW, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- The fourth meeting of the China-Poland Intergovernmental Committee was held Monday in Warsaw, co-chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.

The two sides had a comprehensive and in-depth exchange of views on the current state of bilateral relations, as well as international and regional issues of mutual interest, reaching the following consensus in various fields.

Recollecting last year's 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, they agreed that it shall constitute an impetus for further development of bilateral cooperation within the framework of China-Poland comprehensive strategic partnership. They also agreed on the need to further strengthen and expand bilateral exchanges and effective cooperation, and to organize regular Intergovernmental Committee meetings.

As this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union (EU), both sides agreed that this provides an important opportunity for bilateral relations between China and EU member states, and serves as a platform for addressing common political and economic challenges.

The two sides reaffirmed their support for international law with the United Nations Charter at its core, as well an international order based on the fundamental principles of international law. They reiterated their readiness to continue effective cooperation at key multilateral fora such as the United Nations, the Asia-Europe Meeting and World Trade Organization.

Both sides reaffirmed their mutual commitment to expand bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields and at all levels on the basis of the Action Plan on Strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Poland (2024-2027).

They recognized the urgency of implementing the decisions made by President Xi Jinping and President Andrzej Duda during their talks in Beijing in June 2024, with particular regard to the agreement on the protocol of cooperation on highly pathogenic avian influenza zoning and regionalization management.

The two sides also exchanged views on the importance of developing effective and economically competitive Eurasian transport corridors and Poland's pivotal role in this process.

They recognized the benefits of providing mutually beneficial services for volumes of goods transported by railway, maritime and air means and of consolidating the existing and potential routes and logistical chains.

Both sides expressed their willingness to ensure the safety and accessibility of the China-Europe Railway Express. They acknowledged in particular the shared interest in developing direct air transport links and the balanced growth of competitive air services between China and Poland.

The ministers welcomed the progress in the bilateral economic dialogue made by the Standing Working Group on Promoting Trade Cooperation and the Standing Working Group on Promoting Investment Cooperation operating under Poland's Ministry of Economic Development and Technology and China's Ministry of Commerce. Both groups operate under the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation, and the two sides agreed to convene its next session at the earliest convenience.

They recognized the potential of China-Poland economic and trade cooperation and agreed that efforts should focus on the sustainable development of bilateral trade and diversifying the range of traded goods and services.

They discussed China's export licensing for rare earth-related items to Poland and reaffirmed the need for strengthening communication and dialogue between the export control authorities of both countries and actively promoting the compliant trade in dual-use items.

On the premise of biosecurity, the two sides will advance the lifting of animal epidemic-related bans in accordance with laws and regulations, and will work together to promote the entry of Polish agricultural and food products into the Chinese market, further expanding the scale of two-way trade in these products.

Both sides expressed willingness to further expand mutual investment. Particularly, they recognized the Polish ambition to develop the entire value chain of the domestic electromobility industry, building on its capacity as Europe's largest exporter of lithium-ion batteries, and agreed to encourage enterprises of both countries to pursue a mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in expanding Poland's electromobility sector in accordance with commercial principles.

They agreed that such cooperation is highly desired, given their shared climate commitments and the green transition of their economies.

Building upon ongoing positive people-to-people contacts and significant increase in tourist exchanges, the two sides decided to further promote cooperation in tourism.

They acknowledged the importance of China's visa-free policy for the sustainable growth of the tourism industry.

Both sides decided to continue encouraging cooperation between tourism organizations and their participation at tourism fairs. In the cultural field, the two sides will support in-depth exchange and practical cooperation.

The two sides reviewed the existing bilateral consultative mechanisms between their respective ministries of foreign affairs, such as the vice-ministerial strategic dialogue.

The ministers agreed in principle that the China-Poland Intergovernmental Committee meetings will continue to be held every two years on a rotating basis between the two countries.

The next plenary session of the Intergovernmental Committee will be held in Beijing in 2027 and will be an occasion to assess the implementation of the Action Plan on Strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Poland (2024-2027).

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)