A few years ago the Chinese ambassador to Warsaw at the time, Xu Jian,
said that “Poland is a ‘gate to Europe’ as far as the Belt and Road Initiative is concerned.” It would also be fair to argue that Lodz, located at the very center of Poland (and of Europe), is its heart. A Chinese proverb says, “If you want to get rich, build a road first,” and this perfectly applies to Lodz, which was
named the most attractive place to do business in Central and Eastern Europe by the prestigious Business-Friendly Perception Index 2021, published by the Emerging Europe website.
In fact, Lodz was the first destination for regular container trains from China, which has led to a situation where the Lodz region is now the most dynamic in Poland in terms of cooperation with the People’s Republic of China, connecting it with Western Europe and vice versa.
From the very beginning of BRI’s inception, the city was one of the most important points on the New Silk Road and has established itself as a major transportation hub in Europe, where freight from countries like Britain, Germany, and Italy is transferred on to China-bound trains.
