Poland on the New Silk Road

The reactivation of the concept of the old Silk Road (SR), the so-called New Silk Road (NSR) or the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), formerly also known as the One Belt, One Road (OBOR), is aimed at generating additional value in the logistics network. The network of connections, proposed as a necessary part of the BRI, considers the Republic of Poland (RP) to be a key country for the creation of the route. The proposed book provides an overview of China’s relations with Poland in the context of the NSR. It also attempts to describe the impact which the BRI has on the land and maritime supply chains in Poland. In addition, it endeavours to answer questions about the opportunities and threats resulting from Poland’s participation in the initiative as well as to assess its further development prospects. To this end, the publication analyses various documents and publications or press releases on mutual Sino-Polish relations, particularly data published in numerous industry reports, national development strategies until 2030 or the European Union (EU) as well as local projects and statistics. The Authors also performed the scenario analysis on the basis of the PEST and SWOT analysis of the factors influencing the further development of the Chinese concept.

Introduction 7 Chapter 1. The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative 9 1.1. The Belt and Road Initiative as a global concept 9 1.2. A short history of the 17+1 idea 16 1.3. The main assumptions and goals of the undertaking 19 1.4. Sources of financing the investment projects under the Belt and Road Initiative 24 1.5. The global response to the Chinese concept 27 Chapter 2. The New Silk Road and the Sino-Polish relations 31 2.1. The Sino-Polish political relations after 1989 31 2.2. The Sino-Polish economic relations at the beginning of the 21st century 33 2.3. Poland as a key element of the New Silk Road 39 2.3.1. Łódź as an important point on the Polish section of the New Silk Road 41 2.3.2. Małaszewicze, a key border crossing for the Belt and Road Initiative 45 2.4. Poland’s role in the co-creation of the New Silk Road in scientific literature 47 Chapter 3. The European transport system and its impact on Poland’s participation in the Belt and Road Initiative 49 3.1. The European Union transport policy 49 3.2. Poland in the European Union transport system 53 3.2.1. Rail and sea infrastructure in Poland 57 3.2.2. Poland’s investment strategies concerning the Trans-European Transport Network 64 Chapter 4. The impact of the New Silk Road on the rail and maritime logistics chains in Poland 69 4.1. The transport system as an element of supply chain competitiveness 69 4.2. The development and importance of land–sea supply chains in container transport 70 4.3. The Belt and Road in the rail and maritime transportation 73 4.4. The impact of the New Silk Road on the Polish logistics chains 77 4.4.1. The impact of the Belt and Road Initiative on land supply chains 77 4.4.2. The impact of the Belt and Road Initiative on maritime supply chains 81 Chapter 5. The main determinants of further development of the New Silk Road 85 5.1. The political factors 85 5.2. The economic and social factors 88 5.2.1. The forecasts for the development of rail terminals in Poland 91 5.2.2. The forecasts for the development of sea terminals in Poland 92 5.2.3. The social factors and their place in the Belt and Road Initiative 94 5.3. The technological (infrastructural) factors 95 5.4. The future of the New Silk Road in Poland. Possible scenarios 96 5.4.1. The PEST and SWOT analysis of factors influencing the development of the New Silk Road 96 5.4.2. The environmental scenario analysis and its implementation into the Belt and Road Initiative 99 5.4.3. Final remarks 108 Conclusion 113 List of acronyms 117 List of figures 121 List of tables 123 References 125