Chinese leader strikes deals as he visits Poland

China's President Xi Jinping (left) and Polish President Andrzej Duda attend the official diner in Royal Castle in Warsaw, June 20, 2016. Chinese President Xi Jinping was in Warsaw to boost China's trade and investment with Poland, the European Union's largest eastern economy. PHOTO | AFP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Xi reached agreements with Andrzej Duda on promoting economic ties within China’s Belt and Road and Poland’s Amber Road frameworks.
  • Impressive moment of the visit came on Monday when an express freight train with whistles blowing, slowly pulled into a cargo terminal in Warsaw.

WARSAW, Tuesday

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday concluded his state visit to Poland, the second leg of his three-nation Eurasia tour. 

During his stay in Poland, which started on Sunday, Mr Xi reached agreements with his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda, on promoting economic ties within China’s Belt and Road and Poland’s Amber Road frameworks, as the two countries seek new markets and frontiers for their development strategies.

The most visually impressive moment of the visit came on Monday afternoon, when an express freight train, with whistles blowing, slowly pulled into a cargo terminal in Warsaw.

All the containers on board were painted with the uniform logo of CHINA RAILWAY Express. 

Mr Xi and Duda witnessed the moment on site, which marked the arrival of the first such trains from China along tracks that go as far as 10,000 kilometers to the coast of the west Pacific.

The new family brand consolidated the sometimes confusing China-Europe freights’ brands, which ply the route of the ancient Silk Road.

China-Europe freight rail transport has become the poster boy of China-Poland economic cooperation.

Nearly all such trans-continental trains from China go through Poland, which sits in the very centre of Europe.

Such geological advantage has put Poland on a unique position in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, which comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road and aims at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa.

The freight trains got not only a photo opportunity in the visit.

Xi, Duda and Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo all talked about the rail service on multiple occasions.