March 1, 1979
Information regarding the Visit of the Study Group of the CC PUWP in China
Information regarding the visit of the study group of the CC PUWP in China from March 20 – April 4 [1979] headed by Andrzej Bartnicki, Deputy Head of the CC Department of Education. The remarks and conclusions are based on the observations and talks with the representatives of Polish diplomatic posts in China.
1. All of my interlocutors emphasized the need to activate and expand the economic cooperation with the PRC, especially trade. Poland is now at the fourth place in this area among the socialist countries (after Romania, USSR, and the GDR)…
2. The Chinese side is interested in expanding cooperation with socialist countries in the area of industry and establishing joint ventures. Chipolbrok [Sino-Polish Joint Shipping Venture] gives us much advantage in this area.
3. While increasing their industrialization, China is beginning to depart from a traditional structure of trade (import: machines and equipment; export: mainly raw material and food)…They are interested in importing industrial and consumer goods, and exporting goods in the area of textiles, etc… If we are not sufficiently flexible, then this can negatively influence our trade with China.
4. We need to work out a long-term plan for the development of Chipolbrok…
5. We need to develop and perfect the cooperation in the area of science and technology…
6. We need to begin an exchange of scholars (as already done by the Hungarians) and employees from high-level institutions (especially China experts, sinologists, and Asia experts)…but not within the framework of the cooperation between the academies of sciences.
[…]
7. They are critically assessing the training and preparation of the graduates from the Warsaw University's Sinology Department. They don't know the Chinese language sufficiently to work in China, because they devote too much time to studying classical Chinese, culture, history, and so on…and don't know enough about contemporary China…This is why we should once more consider the language training at Chinese universities based on a limited number of exchanges.
[…]
1. All of my interlocutors emphasized the need to activate and expand the economic cooperation with the PRC, especially trade. Poland is now at the fourth place in this area among the socialist countries (after Romania, USSR, and the GDR)…
2. The Chinese side is interested in expanding cooperation with socialist countries in the area of industry and establishing joint ventures. Chipolbrok [Sino-Polish Joint Shipping Venture] gives us much advantage in this area.
3. While increasing their industrialization, China is beginning to depart from a traditional structure of trade (import: machines and equipment; export: mainly raw material and food)…They are interested in importing industrial and consumer goods, and exporting goods in the area of textiles, etc… If we are not sufficiently flexible, then this can negatively influence our trade with China.
4. We need to work out a long-term plan for the development of Chipolbrok…
5. We need to develop and perfect the cooperation in the area of science and technology…
6. We need to begin an exchange of scholars (as already done by the Hungarians) and employees from high-level institutions (especially China experts, sinologists, and Asia experts)…but not within the framework of the cooperation between the academies of sciences.
[…]
7. They are critically assessing the training and preparation of the graduates from the Warsaw University's Sinology Department. They don't know the Chinese language sufficiently to work in China, because they devote too much time to studying classical Chinese, culture, history, and so on…and don't know enough about contemporary China…This is why we should once more consider the language training at Chinese universities based on a limited number of exchanges.
[…]
Talks about the development of trade and economy in Poland, and the need to develop Chinese relations with Poland, which can be done by developing the Chinese language more in Poland.
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Archive of Modern Records, Warsaw (AAN), KC PZPR, LXXVI – 718. Obtained and translated by Malgorzata K. Gnoinska
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