Ningbo recognized as bridge between China and Europe

During a recent visit to Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, former Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Janusz Piechocinski highlighted the city's growing role as a strategic hub connecting China with Central and Eastern Europe in an interview with Ningbo Daily.

As president of the Poland-Asia Chamber of Commerce, Piechocinski attended the fifth China-CEEC Expo in Ningbo in May and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ningbo Council for the Promotion of International Trade. He called Ningbo a "friendly and efficient" entry point for Polish companies and praised its increasing importance in bilateral cooperation.

According to Poland's Central Statistical Office (GUS), China remains Poland's second-largest source of imports, accounting for 13.9 percent of its total in 2024. More than 32 percent of these imports are directly linked to Poland's economic production, underlining the strong interdependence between the two markets.

Poland is positioning itself as a logistics and distribution hub for the European Union. Ports like Gdansk and Gdynia rank first and third in container throughput on the Baltic Sea, and over 90 percent of China-Europe freight trains enter the EU through Polish border crossings. PKP Cargo, Poland's national rail freight operator, is the second-largest in the EU.

Currently, over 600 large Chinese enterprises are operating in Poland, and nearly 4,000 Chinese nationals are engaged in business in the country. In return, Piechocinski noted that more Ningbo-based companies are now participating in trade, logistics, and cultural exchanges with Polish partners.

He sees major cooperation potential in areas such as smart manufacturing, agricultural processing, port collaboration, and cultural tourism. He suggested developing a "sister port" relationship between Ningbo-Zhoushan Port and the Port of Gdansk, and proposed mutual cultural seasons to build stronger people-to-people ties — such as showcasing Polish music and puppetry in Ningbo and highlighting Ningbo's maritime culture in Poland.

Highlighting recent policy moves like China's 30-day visa-free entry for Polish citizens, he concluded that ongoing collaboration, shared understanding, and trust remain the foundation for deepening the Poland-China relationship in a complex global landscape.