EKOTOP with a GreenEvo trade mission to the Middle Kingdom

The current year is coming to an end. It has been a difficult year, full of challenges and hard daily work, but for EKOTOP Roman Sobczyk, it has been exceptional in many respects. For our contribution to the development of technologies utilizing alternative energy sources – hybrid sludge dryers – we were awarded by the Minister of the Environment of the Republic of Poland and included among the best Polish producers of green technologies.

Thanks to the GreenEvo – Green Technology Accelerator project, we had the opportunity to promote our technology not only domestically but, above all, abroad, in countries with absorbent markets open to innovative environmental protection solutions. Organized trade missions to India, Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, Algeria, and Moldova allowed for the broad promotion of Polish green technologies. The final, summarizing trade mission of the year was the trip to China. This economic mission, to which we were invited as laureates of the GreenEvo program, was linked to the state visit of the President of the Republic of Poland, Mr. Bronisław Komorowski.

China – a state with a history spanning over 5,000 years, where paper, silk, and porcelain were invented – has long fascinated and intrigued the world. Known as the Middle Kingdom, located in Central and East Asia and bordered by three seas, it delights with its cultural richness, architecture, nature, and landscape. China lies within three climate zones: tropical, subtropical, and temperate. The climatic conditions and terrain configuration of individual regions determine their unique environments, ranging from extremely arid desert and mountain ecosystems devoid of vegetation to species-rich mixed and tropical forest communities, or taiga. Many relics, such as ginkgo trees and dawn redwoods, have survived among the local flora. Vast areas of the country are also covered by rice paddies and other crops. Tea, soybeans, peaches, and oranges all originate in China. The animals inhabiting various climatic regions of the country also include an unimaginable wealth of species, ranging from the rare giant panda and South China tiger to the common house sparrow. China borders 14 countries, is the 3rd-largest country in the world by area, and is the most populous nation, home to 56 ethnic groups with a total population exceeding 1.3 billion. China is a global economic power whose development over the last twenty years has attracted attention and admiration from other states. The developing Chinese market is the world's largest factory, and its products reach every corner of the world, competing not only on price but also on quality. It turns out that China can also be an opportunity for Poland to enter the Chinese market with its technologies and products, as well as to attract Chinese business to invest in Poland.

Consequently, our government took strategic steps to establish economic relations with this important partner. Bronisław Komorowski's visit to China, the first by a Polish president to the Middle Kingdom in 14 years, aimed to strengthen Poland's image as a key state in the European Union and a significant economic partner worth investing in.

The President's official delegation in China was accompanied by approximately 100 representatives of Polish companies from many sectors: energy, machinery, finance, transport, construction, pharmaceuticals, and the best Polish green technologies.

President Komorowski personally selected the companies to take part in the economic mission to China. We are all the more proud and honored that EKOTOP Roman Sobczyk was noticed and included in such an esteemed group.

The Poland-China Economic Forum in Beijing, a promotional event, was addressed to representatives of the Chinese business community. During the meeting, representatives of the Polish government and local authorities presented the advantages of investing in their regions; cooperation agreements and trade contracts were also signed.

During his speech, President Komorowski emphasized how important economic cooperation and friendship with China are for Poland, also pointing out a number of common features connecting our countries."We know perfectly well," said the President, "that both Poland and China have undergone a difficult but fully successful transformation over the last 25 or perhaps 30 years, and today our countries are leaders of growth in their regions of the world. Poles and Chinese are characterized by similar fortitude, a willingness to change, and optimism about the future. These features enable rapid economic development and bold changes in the global economy. Located in the heart of Europe, Poland is one of the leaders in the Union in this respect, and China belongs to the world leaders. Like China, we in Poland are quickly bridging the gap separating us from the most developed and wealthiest countries. It is the entrepreneurs – it is you, the Polish and Chinese entrepreneurs present here today – who are largely the authors of the economic successes of our countries. The joint effort of Polish society and entrepreneurs has made Poland the 20th largest economy in the world and the 6th in Europe." Furthermore, he emphasized that Polish-Chinese economic cooperation can be mutually beneficial.

"Many years of good cooperation and trust between Poland and China allow us to look with optimism at the further development of bilateral relations. However, one cannot rest on one's laurels. Regarding economic cooperation, there are still many untapped opportunities on both sides. In my conviction, the time has come to seize them. I wish you all, gathered here at the Poland-China Economic Forum, fruitful deliberations, inspiring conversations, interesting contacts, and friendships built on common business. Thank you for your active participation in building Polish-Chinese economic relations and Polish-Chinese friendship. I count on their further successful and dynamic development, which is boded well by the Chinese Year of the Dragon beginning soon. I believe," said the President, "that the dragon with all its features will bring success to Poles and Chinese."

The President also thanked all the gathered company representatives for their great commitment and participation in the forum, adding that this type of event is an excellent investment in the future of Polish-Chinese economic cooperation. The presence and active participation of GreenEvo project laureates in the forum did not escape President Komorowski's attention, as evidenced by the personal greeting of our Head of State with representatives of the delegated companies.

As part of the Poland-China Economic Forum, a special panel was organized to promote selected best Polish green technologies, to which representatives of Chinese companies interested in cooperation and implementing Polish environmentally friendly technologies were invited. This part of the forum was inaugurated by Janusz Zaleski, Undersecretary of State at the Polish Ministry of the Environment. Subsequently, Prof. Krzysztof Klincewicz delivered a lecture on the GreenEvo project, after which representatives of individual laureate companies presented their green technologies. The official part was followed by very promising direct business meetings with invited potential Chinese partners.

Full of optimism and faith in the future, like President Komorowski, we hope that the Chinese Year of the Dragon will bring our company prosperity and further successes in the field of green technologies, and that participation in the Poland-China Economic Forum will initiate a winning streak and fruitful cooperation with companies from China.