Hanoi (VNA) ꦬ– Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Poland from January 16-18 at the invitation of his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk is expected to help bolster the traditional friendship and all-round cooperation between Vietnam and the European country, making it deeper and more effective.

The visit takes place amid the Vietnam - Poland relations growing strongly, and the two sides are celebrating their 75-year diplomatic ties.

75 years of sound relations

Vietnam and Poland established their diplomatic relations on February 4, 1950. Over the past 75 years, their ties have developed across various fields, including politics, economy, culture, science, and education. The people of Vietnam greatly appreciate the enthusiastic support and valuable assistance provided by the Polish Government and people, during both Vietnam's past struggle for national liberation and the current process of national development. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Poland helped train more than 4,000 Vietnamese students and scientists, as well as over 3,500 skilled workers, mainly in the coal and shipbuilding industries. As part of its open-door foreign policy towards Asia, Poland has attatched great importance to Vietnam's role and position, emphasising that Vietnam is a priority partner in Southeast Asia.

Mutual visits at all levels have been maintained between the two countries. Most recently, during the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s 15th annual meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, China, PM Chinh had a meeting with President Andrzej Duda on June 25, 2024. Both leaders agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a new height in the near future. PM Chinh affirmed Vietnam’s strong commitment to developing its traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation with Poland, expressing deep gratitude for Poland’s invaluable support for Vietnam’s national safeguarding and development. He especially thanked Poland for its solidarity with and assistance for the Vietnamese community there following the tragic fire at a shopping centre in May 2024. PM Chinh asked both countries to continue strengthening ties through high-level exchanges, particularly through Party delegations' visits, and promote economic, trade, investment, and cultural and people-to-people links. He also affirmed that Vietnam will facilitate the import of Poland's strong goods such as machinery and ships. President Duda, in turn, noted he was impressed with Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements and highlighted that Vietnam is the largest partner of his country in Southeast Asia. He also praised the contributions by the Vietnamese community in Poland. The President expressed his hope that Vietnam will facilitate the import of Polish goods and enhance cooperation in new sectors such as renewable energy and tourism. Cooperation between the two countries' legislative bodies has also been growing continually. Vietnam’s 15th National Assembly has established a Vietnam - Poland Parliamentary Friendship Group, while Poland has created corresponding groups in both the Senate and the Sejm. At multilateral platforms, the countries will collaborated closely at forums such as the United Nations, and support ASEAN's relations with Poland and the European Union (EU). They also plan to organise cultural and artistic exchanges in each country in 2025 to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations.

Economic, trade cooperation – a priority

Vietnam is now Poland’s largest trading partner in Southeast Asia, and Poland is Vietnam’s leading partner in Central and Eastern Europe. Bilateral trade has grown steadily in recent years, topping 2.11 billion USD in 2020, 2.57 billion USD in 2021, 2.56 billion USD in 2022, 2.82 billion USD in 2023, and 3.43 billion USD in 2024. Vietnam’s main exports to Poland include computers, electronics, machinery, apparel, seafood, rice, coffee, pepper, sweets, and agricultural products. Meanwhile, it imports from Poland powder milk, pharmaceuticals, equipment for the coal industry, shipbuilding supplies, and scrap metal. Poland has ratified the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) but has yet to approve the EU - Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). Therefore, at recent meetings, Vietnam has continually called on Poland expedite the ratification of the EVIPA and encourage the European Commission to lift the yellow card (IUU) warning against Vietnamese aquatic exports.

As of November 2024, Poland had invested in 33 projects in Vietnam, with a total registered capital of 473.82 million USD, ranking 34th out of 147 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. During the bilateral political consultation at the deputy foreign minister level on May 30, 2024, both sides agreed to actively implement the consultation mechanism for economic cooperation between Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and Poland’s Ministry of Development and Technology. They also discussed the establishment of an intergovernmental committee on economic cooperation while agreeing to continue to effectively implement the EVFTA, facilitate exports to each other's markets, and encourage Polish firms to boost investment in Vietnam, especially in the fields matching Poland's strength and Vietnam's demand. Secretary of State at the Polish Foreign Ministry Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski, during his December 2024 visit to Vietnam, highlighted Polish businesses’ interest in developing the energy sector, including the coal industry, as well as green technologies and digital technologies. These are sectors on which Vietnam is also focusing, offering new directions for future cooperation. In terms of development cooperation, Poland has committed a mixed credit line of 280 million USD to Vietnam. Notably, in 2008, the two sides signed a credit agreement for a project on a vessel model testing laboratory valued at 16.47 million EUR (about 20 million USD) in ODA funding. During President Duda’s 2017 visit, Poland and Vietnam signed a financial agreement worth 250 million EUR. In particular, Poland was one of the first EU countries to assist Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic, donating 1.4 million vaccine doses and 8 tonnes of medical supplies valued at 4 million USD. Cooperation in other fields such as defence, security, education, agriculture, culture, and albour has also continued to progress. From 1960s to early 1990s, Poland helped Vietnam train over 4,000 students and scientists, as well as more than 3,500 skilled workers, mainly in coal mining and shipbuilding. In 2017, the two sides signed a new education deal, agreeing to provide 20 scholarships annually and to receive 20 Polish students for internships in Vietnam. The Vietnamese community in Poland, numbering around 25,000, are known for their solidarity, dedication to the homeland, and their valuable contributions to both Poland and bilateral relations. Given the strong foundations over the past 75 years, PM Chinh’s official visit to Poland, accompanied by his spouse and a high-ranking delegation, is of great significance. It is expected to create a breakthrough in bilateral relations, thus further enhancing Vietnam’s ties with Central and Eastern Europe./.