Warsaw Can Play a More Constructive Role in Shaping Europe’s China Policy 

Poland’s new government has just been constituted, marking a “new opening” for Warsaw’s foreign policy, including on China – a country whose industrial policy, security orientation and strategic alignment with Russia all have a direct impact on Poland and the EU.

The new Polish government will likely have to first focus on the immediate problems it faces, such as reversing the democratic backsliding from the previous administration’s changes to the judiciary as well as the controversial indoctrination of the public broadcaster, to name but a few, yet for its long-term strategy, it should not underestimate the scale of China’s challenge to Poland’s competitiveness and the resilience of the whole continent.

In this regard, Warsaw is capable of bringing a new quality to the European debate on China, provided there is enough political will to tackle the problem head-on and bring the local sensitivities into the European mainstream.