Development Of Chengdu-Lodz Cargo Rail Connection And Its Impact On Poland-China Trade Relations

The announcement of the "One Belt One Road Initiative" by Chairman Xi Jinping in 2013 set a new light on the future of the world trade order.Chengdu-Lodz cargo rail connection was said to be an integral part of this ambitious plan called "The New Overland Silk Road Project".Poland as the leading member of China and the Central and Eastern European Countries(16+1)format and the most populous and the biggest economy in Middle-Eastern Europe was gifted with an opportunity to become the "Gateway to Western Europe”-the main logistics and distribution hub in the region.2013 marked the opening of the cargo rail connection which has been playing an important role as a catalyst of bilateral trade relations ever since.The rail connection bridges Poland and China,Sichuan Province and Lodzkie Voivodeship and last but not least-the cities of Chengdu and Lodz.During the following two years only the Lodz-bound cargo trains were operating,further stimulating Chinese export.The first return cargo train to Sichuan Province and establishment of the Consulate General of Poland in Chengdu in 2015 sent clear signals to Polish entrepreneurs.Since then Poland has been going to the great lengths to reduce the unfavourable trade deficit with China.The rail connection undoubtedly became a symbol of prosperous cooperation between the countries and apart from trade and commerce it also had a positive effect on tourism,culture,education,people to people exchange and last but not least the political dimension.The visits of both country leaders President Andrzej Duda in autumn 2015 in China and Chairman Xi Jinping in summer 2016 in Poland resembled the importance attached to the aforementioned rail connection on the highest government level and strategic partnership of the countries.The smooth collaboration between Sichuan Province and Lodzkie Voivodeship was vital for the future of the project.The number of return trains to China is on the steady rise,the fact which did certainly contribute to the record-breaking figures for 2017 in terms of volume of Polish export to the Middle Kingdom.Although still in quite early stages,the cargo rail connection has been developing rapidly and will significantly impact not only Poland-China,but also Europe-China trade statistics.On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the opening of Chengdu-Lodz cargo rail connection this dissertation analyzes the development and scope of impact of the aforementioned phenomenon on Poland-China bilateral trade relations.In this line it presents quite significant guiding value of theory and practice.The dissertation is divided into six chapters.The first chapter is an introduction.Another chapter introduces the situation regarding Poland-China bilateral trade relations.It presents an overview of international means of transportation between Poland and China.The author elaborates on the development of the trade relations in the past.The second chapter also includes the current state of Poland-China bilateral trade relations.The last section introduces factors determining development of Poland-China bilateral trade.The third chapter is stricte about Chengdu-Lodz cargo rail connection.The reader may learn about the construction background and its capacity.The chapter also points out the important historical events regarding the construction of the rail connection.It focuses on current situation regarding operation of the cargo trains.The chapter elaborates on product structure of the rail connection and analyzes the general trends.Furthermore the author discusses impact of the train on Poland-China bilateral trade relations.Another section explains the barriers and problems which could hinder development of the connection.Lastly the chapter presents the impact of Chengdu-Lodz rail connection on Sichuan Province and Lodzkie Voivodeship.The fourth chapter is an empirical research on the impact of Chengdu-Lodz cargo rail connection on Poland-China bilateral trade relations.The reader can find the overview of the relevant literature.It explains the main assumptions as well as presents the research framework and methods.The author collected 2004-2017 Poland-China trade statistics which formed the basis for gravity model and regression model.The fifth chapter includes data description which is followed by data analysis.It also introduces the main conclusions and discussions.The sixth chapter exemplifies future developments and relevant countermeasures regarding the Poland-China bilateral trade and Chengdu-Lodz cargo rail connection.Both literature research and comparative research methods were applied in the dissertation.The distinguishing feature of this paper is the analysis and research perspective.The author analyzes the development of Chengdu-Lodz cargo rail connection and its impact on Poland-China trade relations under the framework of "One Belt One Road Initiative” from the Polish perspective,often varying significantly from the Chinese point of view,thus offering fresh insights into the debate.The fact that Mandarin is not author's mother tongue influenced the workload for the thesis.The result of the research is as follows.The opening of Chengdu-Lodz cargo rail connection has had mainly positive effect on Poland-China trade growth,although it is insignificant on a broader scale.The dissertation can act as an useful reference or the springboard for further research on Chengdu-Lodz cargo rail connection and Poland-China bilateral trade.