BEIJING - Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski's upcoming state visit to China is expected to help elevate bilateral relations to the level of a strategic partnership, as the country eyes stronger economic and cultural ties with China, Polish Ambassador Tadeusz Chomicki said on Thursday.

Komorowski is scheduled to visit China from Sunday to Thursday, the first visit by a Polish president in 14 years.

"Both countries, both governments, have come to the conclusion that it is time to enhance our relations and to achieve a strategic partnership between China and Poland," Chomicki told reporters at a news briefing at the Polish embassy in Beijing.

"We think it is a great opportunity to show Poland as a good, strong and attractive partner for China," he said.

Komorowski will begin his trip to China in Shanghai, where he will attend an investment promotion forum and meet representatives from the Chinese-Polish Joint Stock Shipping Company, one of the oldest Sino-foreign joint ventures in China.

After his two-day stay in Shanghai, Komorowski will travel to Beijing, where he will hold talks with President Hu Jintao and attend forums on both economics and education.

Chomicki said Komorowski will be accompanied by a 150-strong delegation of businesspeople, scholars and high-ranking officials, including the nation's economy minister.

A series of business and cultural cooperation agreements are expected to be signed during the visit, according to Chomicki.

He added that a large contract will be inked between a Polish company and its Chinese partner, but declined to elaborate.

Poland is the sixth-largest country in Europe, and its economy, which has been growing for 20 years, ranks 20th in the world, according to Chomicki.

China should take the upcoming visit as an opportunity to develop ties with Poland, which is keen on building a strategic partnership with China, said Feng Zhongping, director of the Institute of European Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

"Poland is now a leading country in Central and Eastern Europe, and plays an important role in the European Union," Feng said.

"As both sides attach importance to bilateral relations, and as the world faces an economic downturn, developing relations between the two is not only important for both sides, but also for Europe and the European Union as a whole," he added.

Bilateral trade in 2010 increased 23.8 percent year-on-year to reach a record high of $11.14 billion. Poland has been China's largest trading partner in Central and Eastern Europe for the past six years.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

China Daily