China, Poland to deepen mutually-beneficial Belt & Road cooperation

China and Poland should seize the new opportunities from

the Belt and Road Initiative and the "China-CEE 16+1 mechanism" to

enhance mutually-beneficial cooperation, China's top legislator Zhang

Dejiang said in an official friendly visit to Poland between July 12 and

During his meeting with Polish President

Andrzej Duda, Zhang said the traditional friendship between the two

peoples has been consolidated. "In the past two years, Chinese President

Xi Jinping and Duda exchanged visits, and the two nations have worked

to build a comprehensive strategic partnership, which opens a new

chapter in the Sino-Polish relations", Zhang said.

The two sides should seize the new opportunities

bestowed by the Belt and Road Initiative and "China-CEE 16+1 mechanism",

so as to intensify mutually beneficial cooperation in the areas of

economy, trade and investment, and to forge ahead with bilateral

relations, Zhang said.

Duda praised China's

development, saying that his country looks forward to furthering

cooperation through construction of Belt and Road Initiative projects,

strengthening communication and coordination on international issues,

safeguarding common interests, and continuously enriching the

comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

The 16+1 mechanism is a platform created in April 2012 by China and 16 Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries.

In his meeting with Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, Zhang

mentioned Szydlo's attendance at the Belt and Road Forum for

International Cooperation in Beijing in May, during which leaders of the

two countries reached a series of new important agreements on

strengthening relations.

Both nations, Zhang said,

could make use of existing mechanisms and platforms to further

infrastructure cooperation, improve service of the China-Europe freight

trains and expand new areas of cooperation.

Zhang

also said China attaches importance to developing relations with the EU

and is willing to work with EU countries, including Poland, to

continually promote the relations between China and the EU.

Szydlo believes the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by

Chinese President Xi Jinping is of great significance to a more

balanced and sustainable development of the global economy.

Zhang

also called for reinforcing the sharing of experiences between the two

countries in the area of legislation and supervision, and promoting

friendly exchanges in culture, education and tourism.