WARSAW - Polish President Karol Nawrocki has pledged to bolster exchanges and deepen cooperation with China, hailing the friendship between the two countries here on Monday.

During his meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Nawrocki asked China's top diplomat to convey his greetings to President Xi Jinping, and expressed his appreciation of China's remarkable achievements in its development.

Poland was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and the two countries have always maintained a good friendship, said Nawrocki.

As a historian, the Polish president said he was particularly aware of China's tremendous sacrifices and contributions to secure victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

Poland values its traditional friendship with China and is willing to strengthen exchanges, deepen cooperation, draw lessons from history, and promote the sustained development of bilateral relations while jointly safeguarding world peace and security, he added.

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Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, conveyed President Xi's greetings, saying that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, the China-Poland comprehensive strategic partnership has maintained steady development.

For more than half a century, friendship has always been the main theme and cooperation the dominant trend in China-Poland relations, despite changes in the international landscape, Wang said.

China values Poland's role and influence in Europe and the world, and is ready to further deepen strategic mutual trust, enhance strategic cooperation, and jointly advance the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, he added.

Wang expressed hope that Poland will play an active role in helping the European Union develop an objective and rational understanding of China.

As the main battlefield in the East during World War II, China was the first to resist Japanese militarism, fought the longest, and made immense national sacrifices, thus making a tremendous historic contribution to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, Wang noted.

Wang briefed Nawrocki on China's commemorative events earlier this month aimed at remembering history, honoring the war heroes, cherishing peace, and forging a better future.

Both China and Poland are independent countries that firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Wang said, adding that the separatist activities of "Taiwan independence" forces, which attempt to split the country and challenge the outcomes of World War II victory, run counter to the tide of history and are doomed to fail.

Wang expressed his confidence that Poland will continue to uphold the one-China policy and support China's cause of national reunification.

Nawrocki affirmed that since 1949, the Polish government has recognized the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and will continue to adhere firmly to the one-China principle.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis and other issues of mutual concern.

China-Poland Intergovernmental Committee meeting

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.

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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).

Steady growth of China-Poland ties

As China and Poland approach the 10th anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership next year, the two countries should build on historical experience, carry forward their friendship, uphold mutual respect, accommodate each other's core interests and work together to ensure the steady, undisturbed growth of bilateral ties, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

Wang made the remarks when meeting with Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.

Wang said that both China and Poland are nations of self-reliance and resilience, committed to independence and having forged development paths suited to their own national conditions through hardships. Poland was among the first countries to establish diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China and among the first to sign cooperation documents on the Belt and Road Initiative with China, he added.

China attaches great importance to Poland's role in Europe and consistently regards China-Poland relations as an important part of China-Europe ties, he said. Since establishing diplomatic relations, the two countries have cultivated a friendship built on mutual respect, equality, win-win cooperation and mutual learning, a bond that is especially valuable amid today's turbulent international situation and deserves to be cherished, Wang added.

Noting that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, Wang said the Chinese and Polish peoples alike shed blood and made great sacrifices in resisting aggression.

He called on the two countries to draw lessons from history, look to the future, contribute further to world peace and development, and help advance a fairer and more equitable global governance system.

Wang said Poland is the final stop of his ongoing European tour, adding that over the past few days he has held extensive exchanges with European friends and gained a deep sense of the challenges facing the continent.

He cited arbitrary tariffs that violate international trade rules and harm the legitimate interests of all countries, and called on China and Europe to stand together to oppose such measures. In the face of unilateral bullying, compromise offers no way out, and acting as an accomplice will eventually harm one's own interests, he stressed.

The more complex and turbulent the international situation becomes, the more China, Poland and Europe should uphold the original aspiration at the time of the establishment of their diplomatic ties, stick to their partnership positioning, strengthen solidarity and coordination, safeguard their legitimate rights and interests, and uphold international fairness and justice, Wang added.

For his part, Sikorski said Poland attaches great importance to its relations with China, admires China's achievements in development and welcomes China's continued growth.

Poland firmly adheres to the one-China policy and is ready to give full play to the role of the Poland-China Intergovernmental Committee, enhance exchanges at all levels, and expand cooperation in economy, trade and people-to-people exchanges, especially on major projects such as new energy vehicles, so as to bring more benefits to the people of both countries, he said.

A tariff war ignores World Trade Organization rules, undermines the stability of industrial and supply chains and serves no one's interests, Sikorski said.

Noting that the current international governance system no longer fits changes in the international balance of power, he said Poland values the Global Governance Initiative proposed by China, and is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China to advance reform and improvement of the global governance system.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis. Sikorski briefed Wang on Poland's position on the current situation, and Wang expounded on China's principled position of promoting peace talks and supporting all efforts conducive to peace.

China is ready to maintain close communication with Poland and all relevant parties to promote the conclusion of a comprehensive, lasting and binding peace agreement, build a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture, and achieve lasting peace and stability in Europe, Wang said.

China hopes that Poland, as an important country in Europe, will proceed from the fundamental and long-term interests of itself and of Europe, and play a constructive role in promoting a political settlement of the crisis, he added.

After the talks, the two sides issued joint documents of the fourth meeting of China-Poland Intergovernmental Committee.