BEIJING (AP) — Polish President Andrzej Duda Leaders of NATO member states are visiting China, a country that has supported Russia in its all-out invasion of Ukraine.
“I am trying to maintain friendly relations with China. Poland has always had good relations with China and I want that to continue,” Duda said in an interview with private radio station Zet on Friday.
He was scheduled to meet with the Chinese leader. Xi Jinping He said he would discuss peace in Ukraine on Monday.
Asked whether he believed China held the key to peace in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Duda replied: “To a large extent, I do.”
China claims neutrality in the fighting but has blamed NATO expansion for encouraging Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade, and maintains strong trade and diplomatic ties with Moscow. Poland, which borders Ukraine, has offered refuge to people fleeing the fighting and maintained a tough stance against expanding Russian aggression.
Duda said he would also discuss with Xi the migration pressures Belarus is mounting on its border with Poland as a form of hybrid warfare that could also include cyber attacks.
President Duda will also likely seek visa exemptions for Poles traveling to China and explore the possibility of increasing Polish exports to China in order to balance trade relations.
Poland’s National Statistics Office said 13.9 percent of the country’s imports came from China last year, but that Poland’s exports to China made up only a small part of that.
Several trade agreements are expected to be signed during the visit.
Duda is due to fly to financial capital Shanghai on Wednesday to attend the Poland-China Economic Forum.
