Xi's visit to Poland expected to bring increased Chinese investment

Chinese business representatives in Poland are optimistic that President Xi Jinping's visit will bring further Chinese investment in the country and expand the business ties between two nations, despite the current limited Chinese corporate exposure in Poland.

Hou Yubo, Assistant President of LiuGong Dressta Machinery in Poland, says the Chinese President's visit is seen as a historical opportunity for both China and Poland, and even for central and eastern European countries, adding "it will attract the attention not only from government officials and politicians, but more importantly, from entrepreneurs and investors."

As a leading Chinese construction equipment manufacturer, LiuGong was one of the very first Chinese companies that entered the Polish market when it acquired HSW, a Polish machinery producer, with a value of $50 million in 2012.

"The enhancement of knowledge between our two countries could bridge the gap and explore the potential for further cooperation and it is likely that more of Poland's advantages could be discovered by the Chinese during this visit," he adds.

Hou says the reason that there are few Chinese investors in Poland compared with Western European countries can be attributed to the shortage of a marketing strategy in Poland. As a result, China knows relatively little about the country, with knowledge limited to Fryderyk Chopin, Madame Curie and Nicolaus Copernicus, he says.

Although Poland has advantages in culture, art, technology and engineering, Hou says, as the country is not widely known in China, most Chinese investments have gone to Western European countries that are good at promoting themselves in China and also offer competitive technology and products.

Feng Xiang, managing director of China International Marine Containers in Poland, one of China's largest road trailer producers, believes President Xi's visit will in no doubt enhance the communications between two countries and attract more investments from China.

"I hope the visit will help us generate further communication with the potential local partners, and in turn make us be known by Polish clients and expand our market in the country," Feng said.