ABSTRACT
This study focuses on the case of the local government cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and Poland which emerged alongside cargo freights operating between Western China’s key railway hub in Chengdu (Sichuan province) and Poland’s centrally located city of Łódź (Łódzkie region). The story of the railway connections dates back to 2013 when two private logistics companies established a joint-venture agreement and set up the Sichuan-Europe Railway, only later renamed the China-Europe Railway, reflecting the centralizing agenda of the Belt and Road Initiative. Based on this project, the bilateral relations between cities and regions were institutionalized and followed by the establishment of Poland’s consulate general in Chengdu in June 2016. These efforts aimed to prepare Łódzkie for further investments in logistics and building a transportation hub in central Poland, often advertised as the flagship showcase of Sino-Polish cooperation at the local level. However, despite high expectations, seven years of institutionalized relations brought limited benefits, especially on the Polish side. The chapter analyzes achievements and challenges ahead for cooperation and the circumstances impeding the growth of interactions determined by the (at times) interdependent set of local, central, and global factors.
