In the past two days, Polish President Duda visited China. Judging from the action plan formulated by China and Poland to strengthen relations between the two countries, Duda has already gotten what he wants most during this trip. #军史观察团#
Before his departure, Duda said that he hoped that more Polish agricultural products would enter the Chinese market. China has responded to such demands in Article 1 of the China-Poland Action Plan. The original words are: the two sides will actively improve the trade balance and expand the access of Polish products to the Chinese market.
In addition, during the Sino-Polish leaders' talks, the Chinese leaders also expressed to Duda in person that we welcome more high-quality Polish agricultural products to enter the Chinese market.
Duda's visit to China comes amid a confrontation between China and the EU over tariffs. And as China actively responded to the demands of the Polish side, Duda was also relieved.
In fact, although Poland is labeled as a member of the European Union and NATO and is a close ally of the United States, as one of the first countries to recognize the new China, Poland has maintained friendly relations with China for decades.
Especially since China and Poland announced the upgrade of bilateral relations in 2016, the ties between the two countries in areas such as trade and agriculture have become even closer. In the process, Poland has long become an important gateway for China's trade with Europe.
However, there should be part of the reason why the Chinese side gave Poland what it wanted this time, that is, Duda showed sincerity in cooperation with China.
Prior to this, the United States had been using trade issues and the Russia-Ukraine conflict to drive a wedge between China and Europe. Whether it is the EU's tariffs on Chinese cars or the sanctions on Chinese companies on the grounds of "Russia-related", there is the influence of the United States behind it.
Before Duda's visit to China, Western media hyped that his trip might persuade China to "put pressure on Russia" in person.
At the same time, German Vice Chancellor Habeck, who recently visited China, also made a bad start. Not only did he threaten China not to cooperate with Russia during his visit, but he also argued that the EU's tariffs on Chinese cars were a "legitimate move," stressing that it was the result of a lengthy review.
But it is in such a situation that Duda rarely fails to cooperate with the hype of the United States and the European Union, but shows a pragmatic side towards China. What the United States and the European Union wanted to hear, Duda didn't say a word. For example, on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Duda's wording was very cautious, he only expressed the hope that China would achieve a peace process on the Ukraine issue in accordance with international law.
However, at the same time, the European Union announced sanctions against 19 Chinese companies under the guise of "Russia-related".
We speculate that there should be two main reasons for Poland's insistence on being pragmatic towards China despite the interference of the United States and the European Union.
First of all, in the economic sphere, Poland sees China as an opportunity.
Poland is a big exporter of agricultural products, while China has a huge demand for agricultural products, and strengthening cooperation between the two sides is mutually beneficial.
At the same time, for Poland, it is also an opportunity for the United States and Europe to suppress China in the economic field. Taking the auto industry as an example, if Poland invites Chinese car companies to increase investment in Poland at this time, they will not only help boost the local auto industry, but also provide a huge impetus for Poland's economic development in the long run.
Second, on security issues, Poland sees China as a retreat.
Poland is one of the most radical "anti-Russian fighters" in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and on the occasion of Duda's visit to China, the Polish defense minister revealed that more than 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been trained in Poland. If Russia and Ukraine continue to fight, it will be difficult for Poland not to worry about being liquidated by Russia.
The failure of the previous Swiss peace summit once again showed that on the issue of Russia-Ukraine peace talks, Western countries have significantly weakened their right to speak because they say one thing and do another.
Under such circumstances, even the Ukrainian side pinned its hopes for peace talks on China. As one of the countries most deeply involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it is not surprising that Poland has the idea of hoping for China's mediation.
Since maintaining friendly relations with China is in Poland's interests on economic and security issues, there is certainly no reason for Duda to cooperate with the United States and the European Union in making some noises.
Of course, some analysts believe that China's strengthening of economic and trade cooperation with Poland in the context of trade frictions between China and the EU cannot be ruled out as a kind of goodwill to the EU, that is, to convey to the other side that we hope to properly handle differences with the EU.
Judging from the EU's sanctions on Chinese companies on the grounds of "Russia-related" and the German Vice Chancellor's actions to smear Sino-Russian cooperation during his visit to China, it seems that the conditions for reconciliation between China and the EU are not in place at present.
However, China has already announced visa-free access to Poland, and as China and Poland strengthen cooperation and exchanges in various fields, as long as Duda does what he says, he is willing to play a constructive role in promoting the development of China-EU relations. We have reason to believe that the smear campaign by the United States and some of its European allies against China will be self-defeating.