China–Poland relations

Relations between the People's Republic of China and Poland officially began on October 5, 1949.^[1][2]

Contact between the Polish and Chinese people date back several centuries. In the mid-17th century, notable Polish Jesuit missionaries Michał Boym and Jan Mikołaj Smogulecki arrived to China. Boym significantly expanded the knowledge of China in Europe with his works, among which were the pioneering botany book Flora Sinensis^[5] and detailed maps of China.^[3][4] He also introduced Chinese medicine in Europe, including the analysis of the pulse.^[5] Smogulecki taught European mathematics and astronomy in China, and introduced logarithms to China.^[6] Both Boym and Smogulecki had contacts with the Imperial Court of China.^[4][6]

In the 17th century, there were diplomatic approaches between the courts of John III Sobieski and the Kangxi Emperor. Relations between the Polish King John III Sobieski and the Chinese Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty were the first official diplomatic contacts between Poland and China after the Battle of Vienna (1683). After defeating Turkey, John III Sobieski sent his portrait to the Emperor of China and also commissioned the Polish Jesuits stationed at the Emperor's court to provide the Polish King with all the valuable information about the organization of the Emperor's court and the Chinese Empire. This stemmed from the fact that the Polish King was deeply impressed by Chinese power and sought a strong ally. Seeking allies against Turkey, Sobieski sent an embassy to Beijing, to which the Emperor responded by sending gifts, including a valuable porcelain set, elements of which are preserved at the Łańcut Castle Museum. After the victory at Vienna in 1683, John III Sobieski was building an international anti-Turkish coalition. The embassy aimed to establish relations with China, which was also engaged in warfare at the time, potentially binding Russian forces (an ally of Turkey). Letters and gifts were sent to the court of Emperor Kangxi. Although the direct correspondence has not survived in its entirety, this gesture is considered the beginning of Polish-Chinese diplomacy.^[7] The Chinese Emperor Kangxi honored the Polish king by sending him luxurious, high-quality porcelain. Many of these gifts became part of the collection at Łańcut Castle and constitute unique evidence of John III Sobieski's far-reaching diplomacy. Sobieski ran his own collection of Chinese art in his Wilanów palace.^[8]

In the 1820s and 1830s, Polish physician Józef Wojciechowski was active in Beijing, and became renown for successfully curing a prince from the imperial court deemed incurably ill by local doctors, for which he was honoured with a memorial in Beijing in 1829.^[9]

In the late 19th century and early 20th century, when Poland remained partitioned and occupied by neighbouring powers, thousands of Polish emigrants, including engineers, architects, doctors, teachers, many of them political refugees, settled in Manchuria and greatly contributed to the foundation and development of the Chinese Eastern Railway and the city of Harbin.^[10] The founder and first mayor of Harbin was Polish engineer Adam Szydłowski.^[11] The city's layout was planned by Polish engineer Stanisław Jokisz, and other Polish engineers were also responsible for its construction.^[10] Poles established a prosperous and influential community in the city, with Polish press, schools, organizations, churches^[11] (including the present-day Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral) and sports teams, and peacefully co-existed with the city's other ethnicities including the Chinese.^[10] Many Poles were employed at the Chinese Eastern Railway, which was managed at the time by Polish railway engineer Stanisław Kierbedź.^[10] Tadeusz Nowkuński was the head physician of the central hospital of the Chinese Eastern Railway, active in fighting the plague and cholera epidemics in Manchuria.^[12] Poles introduced sugar beet cultivation to China and established the country's first brewery,^[10] now known as the Harbin Brewery. Poles also established the first steam mills, metallurgical plants, and furniture and cigarette factories in Manchuria.^[10] Several Polish writers, including Teodor Parnicki, Edward Kajdański^[13] and Kazimierz Grochowski, were either born or spent part of their childhood or adulthood in Harbin, before eventually moving to Poland, where they popularized knowledge about China and East Asia.

China and Poland share similar historical experiences and a long struggle for independence. Most of the same great powers that recognized China's colonization also recognized Poland's partitions at the same time. Both Józef Piłsudski and Sun Yat-sen held similar roles in the histories of their nations, operating at a similar time (the turn of the 19 and 20th century), though in completely different geographic areas. Both were political leaders who sought independence for their countries using revolutionary methods. In 1913, Józef Piłsudski, the leader of the later reborn Poland, received a response from Shanghai thatSun Yat-sen is readiness for Polish-Chinese cooperation against Tsarist Russia. Józef Piłsudski's brother, Bronisław Piłsudski, wrote in a letter to American journalist George Kenan that he had not only met Sun Yat-sen personally but also maintained friendly relations with him.^[14][15] In 1918 Poland regained independence after the partitions period, and diplomatic relations between China and Poland began in 1919. A friendship, trade and navigation treaty between China and Poland was signed in Nanjing in 1929 to strengthen and evolve the relations.^[16] Ludwik Rajchman, a Polish physician and bacteriologist, was an advisor to Chiang Kai-shek and T. V. Soong.^[17] The Polish community in Harbin remained strong, until many Poles gradually left for Poland in the 1930s, and the remaining Poles were mostly repatriated by the Polish government in 1949.^[10] However, special bonds connected the city's Polish and Chinese residents. Poles were characterized by an open attitude and a willingness to integrate into Chinese society. They often formed friendships with Chinese citizens from an early age, and even Polish-Chinese marriages occurred. This often gave them the opportunity to become intimately familiar with Chinese culture, including the language and traditions, even as young children. These bonds were also strengthened by shared participation in religious ceremonies. The mutual provision of services and the lively trade between members of the Polish community in Harbin and the Chinese were also significant.

Polish residents of Harbin also played a significant role in the creation of the so-called Lytton Report, a document that stated that Manchukuo was not a sovereign state, as Japan claimed. On May 9, 1932, at the "Polish Inn," members of a special United Nations commission met with representatives of the Polish diaspora. The Poles informed the diplomats that the Japanese actions were inconsistent with international law, and their testimony proved to be crucial in the matter and influenced the commission's decision not to recognize Manchukuo. Meanwhile, three of the four Poles defending Hong Kong were from Harbin. There were never any acts of collaboration by members of the Polish community in Harbin, and the attitude of Poles toward the Japanese occupiers was decidedly unfavorable. Poles living in Harbin openly referred to the situation as an occupation. Poles living in Harbin frequently supported their Chinese neighbors during these difficult times. The activities of the Polish post in Harbin ended tragically, as its members were killed by the Japanese in 1941.^[18]

The Chinese who fought for Poland was Chen De-fu, born in Dalian, Manchuria. At the age of seven, he lost his parents and was left without care. Polish captain Kazimierz Skorotkiewicz helped the young Chinese by taking him into his care and bringing him to Poland. Chen De-fu participated in the Greater Poland Uprising, and a year later, he volunteered for General Józef Haller's army and fought in the Polish-Soviet War.^[19]

Very few Chinese people lived in Poland in the interwar period, including four in Warsaw, and one each in Ciechanów, Brześć and Nieśwież, according to the 1921 Polish census.^[20][21][22] During World War II, some 13 ethnic Chinese from Warsaw were deported by the German occupiers to the Gross-Rosen concentration camp in 1944.^[23]

During World War II, China and Poland were allies, with both the Chinese government and the Polish government-in-exile having signed the United Nations Declaration. On September 12, Chiang Kai-shek sent a telegram to Guo Taiqi, the Chinese ambassador to Great Britain, and Gu Weijun, the ambassador to France, instructing them to convey the message that "from now on, China, together with Poland, Great Britain and France, will fight in Asia and Europe, resisting aggression and showing true friendship and solidarity." Chiang Kai-shek clarified his position on the European war: "In general, our country sympathizes with attacked Poland and supports the position of a member state of the League of Nations.".^[24] Although Poland fought against Germany, and China fought against Japan, Poles were not indifferent to the struggles of the Chinese and saw similarities in their fates.^[25] In 1941, Poland declared war on Japan (and China declared war on Germany), and a year later in 1942 during the stay of Marshal Chiang Kai-shek in Bombay, representatives of the Polish delegation as well as the Polish Relief Committee paid him a visit. The Poles presented Marshal Chiang Kai-shek with a memorandum in which they praised the heroism of the defenders of China and assured the Marshal that the Poles would fight alongside the Chinese until tyranny is crushed and freedom is restored to the nations that have lost it. Chiang Kai-shek was captivated by the struggle of the Poles and expressed his gratitude for the memorandum.^[26] General Władysław Sikorski met with the Chinese ambassador and the Chinese foreign minister. During their conversation, the idea of establishing a Polish air force to fight the Japanese in China emerged. Among the Polish volunteers fighting in defense of China was the renowned pilot Witold Urbanowicz.^[27] The strengthening of relations between China and Poland within the framework of the alliance against the Axis powers led to the elevation of the Polish legation in Chongqing to the status of an embassy, and Alfred Poniński became the first ambassador, holding the post until July 1945.^[28]

Relations between the newly founded People's Republic of China and the Polish People's Republic began on October 5, 1949, and diplomatic missions were established shortly after on October 7, 1949. Poland, a part of the Communist Bloc, had friendly relations with China and both countries cooperated in international issues such as the Korean War.^[2]

The bilateral relations deteriorated significantly as a result of the Sino-Soviet split. However, when China called for the permanent United Nations Security Council seat, then held by the Taiwan-based Republic of China, to be transferred to the mainland government, Poland supported its case.^[2]

Zhou Enlai, the Premier of China, paid two state visits to Poland. Polish communist leaders, including Bolesław Bierut, Edward Ochab and Józef Cyrankiewicz also made multiple visits to China.^[1]

In 1957, fears in Poland grew of an armed intervention by the Soviet Union, the leadership of which was alarmed by the events of the Gomułka thaw. The Chinese leadership opposed the plan of an intervention in Poland, believing Gomułka's reforms to be justified. China's protest weakened Nikita Khrushchev's stance on Poland and helped avert an armed confrontation. The support from China strengthened Gomułka's position in the Communist Bloc and reinforced his efforts to pursue more autonomy from the Soviet Union. China promoted the idea of a “national path to socialism,” which aligned with Gomułka’s reformist course and made it possible to move away from Stalinism without breaking away from the Communist Bloc altogether.^[29]

In 1989 Communism in Europe fell, and Poland underwent widespread democratization and market-oriented economic reform. At this time, China was also becoming more market-driven, largely as a result of the economic reforms of Deng Xiaoping.^[2] The newly formed Third Polish Republic chose to align itself with the West, joining NATO in 1999, and the European Union in 2004.^[30] Despite this, relations between Poland and China remained steadfast throughout the 2000s.^[2]

In 2016, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping visited Poland,^[31][32] where he claimed that "Polish companies will benefit hugely" from China's Belt and Road Initiative.^[33] Duda and Xi signed a joint declaration on strategic partnership in which they reiterated that Poland and China viewed each other as long-term strategic partners.^[34]

In January 2019, Huawei employee Wang Weijing was arrested in Poland on charges of spying for China.^[35][36] In July 2024, the People's Liberation Army and the Armed Forces of Belarus conducted joint military exercises in the Brest Region a few kilometers from the Belarusian-Polish border.^[37][38] The same month, Poland threatened to cut off a Chinese rail export route to the European Union via Poland in order to pressure Belarus.^[39]

In June 2024, Poland supported tariffs on imported Chinese electric vehicles. The Chinese government privately urged Chinese automakers to stop making large investments in European countries that supported tariffs. In November 2024, it was reported that Leapmotor and Stellantis had canceled plans to produce the B10 model in Poland and decided to move its production to Slovakia and Germany.^[40]

In June 2025, Poland's Internal Security Agency's Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT GOV) stated that advanced persistent threats from the PRC had expanded their cyberattacks against Poland's critical infrastructure.^[41] In February 2026, Poland prohibited all Chinese-made vehicles from its entering military facilities, citing fears of "uncontrolled data acquisition."^[42]

During the 1950s to 1990s, the two countries conducted economic activities using accounts on government agreements. Their annual trade valued nearly US$1 billion in 1986.^[2]

In the 1990s, an agreement on trade payments in convertible foreign exchanges was signed. In 1990, trade dipped from US$0.322 billion to US$0.144 billion in 1991. Bilateral trade began to increase again in 1992.^[2]

Trade between Poland and China increased significantly over the years. By 2001, the trade between the two countries was valued at US$1.242 billion, up 29.5% from 2000.^[2]

The countries' economic relations revolve primarily around environmental protection, finance, agricultural technology, and the copper and coal industries.^[43] It has also recently started to include high technology, clean energy, labour, services and infrastructure.^[43][44]

In 2008, Poland's exports to China totaled approximately US$1 billion,^[45] and its imports from China amounted to about US$11 billion.^[45]

• China has an embassy in Warsaw.
• Poland has an embassy in Beijing and consulates-general in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

• Embassy of China in Warsaw
• Embassy of Poland in Beijing
• Consulate-General of Poland in Guangzhou

• Poles in China
• Foreign relations of China
• Foreign relations of Poland

• Polish embassy in Beijing (in English, Polish, and Chinese)
• PRC embassy in Warsaw (in Polish and Chinese)