Chinese premier speaks on Polish TV channel

WARSAW -- Visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Friday China and Poland had agreed to respect and treat each other on an equal footing and supported each other's choice of development path.

These were among a series of important consensuses reached during his fruitful talks with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and friendly meetings with Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski, Polish Parliament Speaker Ewa Kopacz and Senate Speaker Bogdan Borusewicz, Wen said.

Both sides also agreed to establish a regular meeting mechanism between the two countries' prime ministers to intensify high-level contacts and enhance political mutual trust, Wen said in a televised speech on the Polish government's press center's television channel at the invitation of Tusk.

Meanwhile, both sides agreed to set up an intergovernmental commission and a steering committee for industrial cooperation in a bid to boost two-way investment and balanced trade growth between the two countries, double bilateral trade within five years and reinforce bilateral cooperation in various fields such infrastructure construction, new energy and high technologies, Wen said.

China had invited 50 Polish young people to visit China next year, and was willing to work with Poland to establish a cultural center in each other's country soon and expand bilateral tourism cooperation with the inauguration of direct Beijing-Warsaw flights, he said.

Wen also said his trip was the first visit paid by a Chinese premier to Poland in 25 years and he was delighted to have seen a vigorously emerging Poland.

He said China and central and eastern European countries currently had a great opportunity for future development of their relations.

China would honor its commitments, including sending trade and investment promotion delegations to central and eastern Europe, establishing a $10 billion credit line and a $50 million investment cooperation fund, he said.

"We need to make joint efforts to implement various initiatives, promote coordination and prompt our cooperation to come up with concrete results so as to benefit both the Chinese and central and eastern European peoples," the Chinese premier said.

China supported the EU's integration process, Wen said, expressing belief that the economic vitality brought by reforms would help Europe achieve economic recovery and growth.

A stable, prosperous and strong Europe is conducive to deepening the China-Europe comprehensive strategic partnership as well as to world peace and development, he said.

China, Poland and other central and eastern European nations were at a crucial stage for development and were faced with the great task of national construction and rejuvenation, Wen said.

"As long as we trust each other, help each other and strengthen cooperation, nothing can prevent us from forging ahead," he said.

And China would, as always, be a good friend and partner of central and eastern European countries, he said.