Bridging sister provinces to deepen economic cooperation, the 2024 "Belt and Road" Investment and Trade Delegation organized by the Hubei Provincial Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) embarked on a three-day visit to Poland from May 16 to 18. The delegation visited Bydgoszcz and Toruń—twin capitals of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Hubei’s sister province—as well as Warsaw, Poland’s capital. Their activities were met with enthusiastic reception from local business communities.  

Upon arrival at Warsaw Airport on the morning of May 16, the delegation proceeded directly to the Bydgoszcz Industrial Park. Deputy Voivode Zbigniew Ostrowski of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, alongside representatives from the Voivodeship’s Economic Development Agency and the Industrial Park Management Committee, extended a warm welcome. Ostrowski expressed gratitude for Hubei’s support during the pandemic and highlighted the deepening economic ties since the establishment of sister-province relations in 2011. Recalling his 2016 visit to Hubei, he emphasized the need for stronger industrial alignment to yield tangible outcomes. Shi Minghui, Deputy Director of the Hubei CCPIT, noted that the delegation’s visit reciprocated the Kuyavian-Pomeranian delegation’s trip to Hubei in October 2023, during which Governor Piotr Całbecki explored partnerships in new energy vehicles and healthcare. The delegation toured the industrial park, gaining insights into its infrastructure, sectoral layout, and future plans, while discussing practical matters such as land pricing, utilities, and tax policies.  

Later that day, the delegation traveled to Toruń, where the Hubei CCPIT, the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Economic Development Agency, and the Toruń Chamber of Commerce jointly hosted the "China Hubei–Kuyavian-Pomeranian Enterprise Cooperation Matchmaking Forum." Provincial profiles were presented, followed by over 20 tailored B2B sessions. Key Hubei enterprises, including Hubei Zhongsheng Electric, Sanhuan Forging, Yidu Huiyi Ceramics, Hubei Aviator General Aviation, and Wuhan World Trade Exhibition Services, reached preliminary cooperation agreements with Polish counterparts.  

On May 17, the "China Hubei-Poland Business Matchmaking Conference" was successfully held at the conference hall of the Polish Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Warsaw, the capital. Distinguished guests including Xu Xiaofeng, Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Poland; Guo Peidong, Secretary-General of Polish Chinese Chamber of Commerce (Chief Representative of CCPIT in Poland); Bihorzynski, President of Polish-Asian Chamber of Commerce; Malgorzata Miasko, Vice President of Katowice Chamber of Commerce; and Jan Worgowski, representative of Polish Investment and Trade Agency attended and addressed the event. Deputy Director Shi Minghui presented Hubei's provincial profile and key cooperative industries, while Hu Qinghua, Vice President of Jingmen CCPIT, delivered a specialized presentation on Jingmen's industrial advantages. Commercial Counselor Xu Xiaofeng remarked that 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of Sino-Polish diplomatic relations. As one of Europe's fastest-growing and most dynamic economies, Poland remains China's largest trading partner in Central and Eastern Europe. Noting that Hubei-based enterprises like Yangtze Optical Fibre and Sanhuan Group have established operations in Poland, he extended warm invitations for more Hubei enterprises to explore Polish markets, reaffirming the commercial section's continued support for international business development. Deputy Director Shi Minghui highlighted Poland's emergence as a distinctive electric vehicle industrial cluster in Central-Eastern Europe, leveraging its economic stability and strategic European centrality. He emphasized that automotive manufacturing, being a pillar industry of Hubei Province, particularly new energy and intelligent connected vehicle sectors - one of Hubei's five prioritized industries for global cluster development - demonstrates complete industrial chains and robust innovation capabilities. "With complementary market scales, resource endowments and industrial advantages, both parties share vast cooperative potential," Shi stated. He expressed hopes that this conference would catalyze extensive business dialogues and deepen pragmatic cooperation in automotive manufacturing, aviation services and other sectors to foster sustainable international collaboration.

During their visit to Poland, the delegation met with the Poland-China Business Association, where they engaged in in-depth discussions with Vice President Jacek Buszek on deepening Sino-Polish economic and trade cooperation. The team conducted field research at the Polish Chinese Trade Center, gaining firsthand insights into market operations and development prospects of Chinese commodities in the local market. This diplomatic mission not only strengthened the sister-province relationship between Hubei Province and Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship but also injected fresh momentum for expanded economic collaboration. Bonded by shared urban development visions and mutual sincerity, the Hubei Council for Promotion of International Trade will continue leveraging its unique strengths in bridging government and enterprises, integrating domestic and international resources, and facilitating supply-demand coordination. By intensifying efforts under the "Going Global" initiative, the council aims to cultivate more fruitful outcomes from provincial exchanges, jointly build a bridge of friendship that fosters mutual engagement, and make substantive contributions to Hubei's high-quality co-development of the Belt and Road Initiative.