The Opening Conference of the Forum was held on 20th May 2015 Tyszkiewicz Palace, Warsaw. Mayor of Warsaw, prof. Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz opened the Conference. Paulina Uznańska, Main Coordinator of the project introduced the idea of our endevour. Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak, Vice-Rector for Research and Liaison, spoke about cooperation between Polish-Chinese students, making way to dr Grzebyk's speech. Our Academic Guardian, dr Piotr Grzebyk told the audience that our project is a beginning to academic exchange between Poland and China. Later, prof. Liu, with help from his translator, thanked for the China University of Political Science and Law and the University of Warsaw exchange during Warsaw- Beijing Forum and expressed his hope for the continuation of the project. The official part of the Opening Conference ended with prof. Góralczyk's speech about Sino-Polish relations, followed by a short debate with questions from the audience. During the Opening Conference, we expressed our deepest gratitude to our Honorary Guests, Sponsors, Partners, Media Representatives for the incredible amount of faith put into our project. We, with the positivity received from our supporters, begin a week of lectures and meetings of Warsaw-Beijing Forum: Youth for Business.
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We started the official part of Warsaw Beijing Forum with lecture by Mr. Piotr Frankowski from Trinity Culture Lab – our Partner since the first edition! The subject of the lecture was: „How Peasants Became Polish Noblemen and What Happened Next.” Mr. Piotr Frankowski with a great passion introduced the role of geopolitics on shaping Poland’s history. He also explained some key words and phrases used to describe the changing Poland. The lecture put emphasis on honor and sense of Polish identity and how through education peasants started to think of themselves as Poles.
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To were honored to participate in two meetings with the World Bank’s analysts. The first one concerned supporting innovation and new business in Poland. Our expert explained to our Chinese students that we are one of the most supported countries in the European Union when it comes to funding. He admitted that even though we’re European Union’s champions of spending money, we need to specialize more and invest in entrepreneurship. Finishing his presentation, he showed us how the World Bank classifies different types of firms. The World Bank is a United Nations international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programs. It is a part of the World Bank Group, and a member of the United Nations Development Group. On Wednesday, 27.05, we had a second meeting with World Bank representative: Leszek Kąsek, Senior Economist of World Bank. Our expert talked about renewable energy in the electricity mix in Poland. He briefly introduced the topic, offering some inside into the renewable energy, as well as comparing the use of renewable energy in the world. He also explained the process of the decarbornization. After discussing the global context, he focused on the European Union and presented different types of renewable technologies available in this region. Furthermore, we found out how geological conditions affect the use of renewable sources of energy in Poland, extended by many graphs presenting the issue.
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After visiting the Museum of Frederic Chopin, we had a meeting with Elżanowski Cherka & Wąsowski Law Office about the National Centre for Research and Development. The Center is currently considered to be one of the greatest innovation centers operating in Poland. We talked about the financing and legal status of NCDR, as well as its strategic programmes, both domestic and international. Elżanowski Cherka & Wasowski Law Office was founded in 2005 on the initiative of people connected with the University of Warsaw’s Faculty of Law and Administration. They are an independent law office aspiring to be a leader within the scope of legal services.
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Prof. Sławomir Czepielewski introduced his program, Chinese for Europeans. He said that through many years of working with Chinese partners and the users’ feedback, he realized that there is a huge need for Chinese for Business. He explained that Chinese is very important language for the future, because of its fast and steady growth. During his meeting, he also talked about setting a global business. To succeed, it needs to use local resources and understand the surrounding culture.
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Lecture led by prof. Franciszek Longchamps de Bérier was entitled “Common roots of Chinese law and European systems from Roman Law.” Professor Franciszek Longchamps de Bérier is a second-time supporter of our project! He introduced the roots of legal traditions around the globe. We were surprised that same inscription “Ius est ars boni et aequi” can be found both in Warsaw, in the Palace of Justice and in Beijing, at the China University of Political Science and Law library building.
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Sinopol Foundation for Chinese – Polish Economic and Cultural Exchange organized a trip to Royal Lazienki Park for us. We learnt more about the history of Chinese influences there. The last king of Poland, Stanisław II August was known to be inspired by orientalism, including Chinoiserie. There was a Chinese Alley from Royal Lazienki Park to Wilanow Palace, as well as a Chinese Bridge and Gate which was sadly destroyed. However, through shared work, including the Sinopol Foundation’s, we can now see the renewed Chinese Alley and the newly opened Chinese Garden.
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The meeting with Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) concerned the Eurozone, the European Union – China Economic Relations and the “One Belt, One Road” Initiative. Our Chinese students had a chance to get to know institutions working with or inside the European Union, such as The Schengen Area, the Eurozone, European Free Trade Association, and others. Then, we talked about the diplomatic relations between the European Union and China, and the ongoing negotiations for EU-China Investment Agreement. Lastly debated was the “One Road, One Belt” initiative and its importance for growing Chinese market. At the end, we had a chance to ask questions and Poland’s trade with China and the Chengdu-Lodz Express.
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DLA PIPER provided us with useful information on how to start and set up a company in Poland, as well as some basic information about partnerships and types of companies in Poland and in China. They pointed out their similarities and differences. They carefully analyzed the most popular types of companies in both countries. We got to know practical information about set-up, internal structure, board and registration of Limited Liability Company. They also introduced possible obstacles in conducting business activities resulting from the origin of the investor and gave us solutions to overcome. The meeting also touched on hiring employees in Poland and on the topic of discrimination and mobbing, showcased with few case studies. Our visit ended with a Q&A session and a short overlook on the financing transactions in Poland.
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Dr Konrad Marciniuk from Miller Canfield presented a very interesting topic: „Doing business in Poland – prevention of unfair competition and jurisdiction of Polish courts“. He introduced the source of European Law as well as the rules of their usage in Polish legal system. Then, briefly presented the Polish legal system. He showed us legal forms used to establish a business in Poland, especially LLC. Dr Konrad Marciniuk compared branch & agency with Polish subsidiary of Chinese entrepreneur. He introduced us to Real Estate Law, labour and employment, competition and consumer protection, Intellectual Property Law, taxes and litigation – all the legal aspects needed to establish a company.
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After a day of legal cases, we had a field trip to Kutno to visit our Partner, PCC Intermodal S.A. We had a meeting giving us a short history and offered services. PCC Intermodal S.A. is a leader among private intermodal transport operators. Terminal in Kutno is the first center of logistics and container handling which enables time and costs efficiency in handling cargo coming to the central Poland from the west, east, and the sea ports (north – south trade corridors). Then we had a chance to walk around the Terminal which was very exciting for everyone. We saw gantry cranes, reach stackers and how they operate. The meeting was topped with a beautiful sunset. This was probably the most photographed place of the entire week.
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The lecture given by Mr Zbigniew Czech from Department for Asia and the Pacific, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regarded international law and the settlement of disputes. We discussed why the international law was established and is it effective in the today’s world. We also talked about the role of United Nations in solving the disputes. The Chinese students were really interested in this subject, asking many questions during the Q&A session, covering many different topics including BRICS countries and the Rwandan genocide.
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We were honored to listen to the representatives of the SDZLEGAL SCHINDHELM. Meeting with Mr Raymond Kok and Ms Agnieszka Łuszpak-Zając was entitled “Joint Ventures between Polish and Chinese Companies in China and Poland”. Firstly, we were put into groups to discuss possible Polish-Chinese joint ventures and legal difficulties we might encounter. Then, we were split to discuss why we would like such joint ventures and we found out that we had different objectives. Therefore, when you plan a Polish-Chinese joint venture you need to get a common ground and have an understanding of shared goals for the future. Then, Polish and Chinese students discussed types of joint ventures in Poland and process of company formation as well as compared joint stock company and LLC. Finally, we talked about the reasons and possible problems of investing in Poland.
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The meeting was led by Yunhao Luo, a Director Assistant at Deloitte Chinese services group. During the meeting, he shared with us his experience of studying in Poland and the career opportunities for foreigners living here. He noted that there are a few key differences in Polish and Chinese education systems, mainly the style of teaching and learning materials. He also mentioned the cultural differences encountered since he moved to Poland. This meeting was very engaging for our Chinese students who very eager to ask questions about many aspects of living, working, and studying in Poland.
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The last meeting of the Warsaw Part of Warsaw-Beijing Forum: Youth for Business was an open lecture with prof. Bogdan Góralczyk. The subject was: “New Chinese Model of Development and Its Global Implications.” Professor presented the past and present models of development in China. Presently, it need to focus more on domestic issues such as: aging society, imbalance between males and females, corruption, and pollution. He also discussed the “One Belt, One Road” initiative and its components: Maritime Silk Road and Silk Road Economic Belt, proposed by Xi Jinping in 2013. Also mentioned during the lecture was the Asian Infrastracture Investment Bank (AIIB) launched in late 2014. Those initiative are new ways of China to become the global power. The lecture was followed by a very interesting Q&A session, ending the official part of Warsaw Part of the Warsaw-Beijing Forum.
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The Opening Conference of the Forum was held in the Huicheng Law Firm. It was opened by Mr. Fan Shiwen, the Director of the company. Then, Professor Xue Gangling and Professor Wang Xinyu welcomed the Polish team and introduced the project and its importance to the Chinese media representatives. They also expressed their hope for continuing the project and expanding its scope in the future. After the professors from China University of Political Science and Law finished their speeches, it was Poland's turn to thank the Chinese side for all their hard work. Professor Tomasz Giaro, Deputy Dean for Legal Research and International Cooperation at the Law Faculty of the University of Warsaw, spoke about the cooperation between Polish and Chinese students. Later, Doctor Grzebyk, our academic tutor, highlighted the importance of our project in the development of bilateral partnership between Poland and China. The official part of the Opening Conference ended with an office tour of the Huicheng Law Firm, the Main Sponsor of the Beijing Part.
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Zhang Xiaoming, a deputy director of Judicial Assistance and Foreign Affairs Department of the Ministry of Justice conducted the lecture about the criminal justice system and its practices in China. The ministry representative spoke on the four different jurisdictions that are current in the People's Republic of China. He also briefly introduced the China's current legislation structure. The deputy mentioned that Poland was chosen as a first foreign country to sign mutual legal assistance agreement (MLAA) for the purpose of providing mutual assistance in investigations and prosecutions related to criminal matters.
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The meeting in the Embassy concerned various aspects of Polish-Chinese cooperation. After being welcomed by His Excellency, Polish Ambassador Miroslaw Gajewski, the Forum participants had the opportunity to talk with a group of Polish diplomats about the development of bilateral economic cooperation, promotion of Poland in China and also discussed what should be done to strengthen academic, economic and political relationship between both countries. During the visit students had a chance to walk around the Polish Embassy which is one of Poland's largest overseas embassies.
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Professor Franciszek Longchamps de Berier, who is an expert that specialize in the Roman law, gave a similar lecture as during Warsaw conference entitled “Common roots of Chinese and European Systems from Roman Law Perspective”. He explained to the Chinese students the European legal tradition and codifications. The expert also mentioned that in order to carry out the proper interpretation of binding regulations, it is necessary first of all to describe the values and principles expressed in individual provisions of law, statutes, courts’ sentences.
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At the end of the day the Beijing team prepared a Chinese calligraphy lesson. They demonstrated and explained calligraphy brush stroke technique. Polish students had a chance to write basic characters using brush and ink. The cultural evening ended with a musical touch. The performer gave a marvelous concert playing on a traditional Chinese instrument, guzheng.
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During the meeting at Hyleen Capital we had a chance to familarize ourselves with basic aspects of private equity investments. Hyleen Capital’s experts briefly described the history of PE in China: the early beginnings in the 90s and the increasing number of investments in the past decade. They also explained possible future development of PE, as Chinese booming market is attracting significant attention from global investors Together with Hyleen Capital’s representants we then analyzed real-life cases of PE Investement such as taobao.com, alipay.com, tmail.com and many others.
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Representant of W&H law firm, a leading firm in China, awarded with many prestigious awards such as „Beijing Municipality Oustanding Law Firm”, presented a lecture „The application of law on FDI”. As there are different forms of Foreign Direct Investment, mainly: equity joint ventures (EJVs), cooperative joint ventures (CJVs) and wholly foreign owned enterprises (WFOEs), W&H’s expert described each of them and explained the differences between them. The lecture also addressed legal issues associated with FDI.
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The law firm’s experts conducted a workshop on a development of public-private partnerships in China. During the meeting, students learned more about opportunities and threats of public-private partnership (PPP) and the characteristics of the cooperation of private and public parties in such projects in China. The experts also presented most important PPP projects and main areas of putting PPP into practice.
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Professor Guo Chen from China University of Political Science and Law gave a lecture on Chinese and Polish commercial and company law. Tackling the subject from the perspective of modern economic development, the Professor compared both Poland’s and China’s legal systems. Students had a chance to deepen their understanding of the economic reforms implemented by Deng Xiaoping and the development of legislature in the times of Mao Zedong’s leadership. Moreover, Professor Guo Chen discussed the present legal system of the People's Republic of China and the influenche of China’s legal tradition on modern legal culture. Professor Tomasz Giaro presented European legal tradition and the key features of judicial system in civil law. Chinese students were particularly interested in European legislature, mainly rule-making process and the application of the law. The key point of the lecture was the description of the main institutions of private law in continental Europe and their purpose.
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Beijing Huicheng Law Firm, the main sponsor of the Beijing Part of the Project, ownes 16 branch offices around China (in inter alia Shanghai, Jinan, Dongguan, Nantong, Shenyang, Nanjing, Kunshan, Zhengzhou, Xi’an, Wuhan) what makes them the leading Chinese law corporation. The attorneys of the Huicheng Law Firm prepared 2 blocks lecture. During the first one Participants got familiar with an arbitration proceedings in China, basic regulations of the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (1958) known as “the New York Convention” and The China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC). While during the second part attorneys introduced us to the most important aspects of the cross border transactions such as taxation advisory and administrative requirements.
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Tiantong Law Firm, which is known for its effectiveness in winning second trial and appeal cases (the success rate is over 90%), gave the Participants a great lecture on “Developments of Chinese Arbitration Law and Practice”. Warsaw-Beijing Forum members also had the chance to visit its impressive headquarters set up right by the Forbidden City. The especially quint part of the office was a moot court room where attorneys and clients prepare for the trials.
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The meeting with the Beijing branch of the worldwide law corporation - DLA PIPER got an interesting and very educating form. The partners of each departments: the Intelectual Property and Technology department, Tax department, Labor Law department, Finance department, and Litigation and Investigation department made a brief introduction to “Doing Business in China” topic, each from the perspective of their specialization. It was also an unique chance for all law faculty students to see in practice which filed law suits them most.
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Deloitte, the largest professional services network providing audit, tax consulting, enterprise risk, and financial advisory services in over 150 countries, conducted a workshop for students. Director of Deloitte GSCG, based in Beijing, enlightened structure and activities of Global Chinese Services Group. The Second part of the meeting concerned mergers and acquisitions. Deloitte representative pointed out sectors in which M&A occurs and gave many practical examples. Students also had an opportunity to broader their knowledge concerning International Tax & Cross-border Investments. Absorbing Q&A section concerned the meeting’s subject as well as general Euro-Asian business relations.
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Meeting with Shen Hongyu, a Judge of the Four Civil Division Supreme People’s Court of China covered Chinese Judicial System and International Disputes Adjudication. The expert briefly introduced Chinese judiciary system and together with Polish students made a comparison of Polish and Chinese Judicial System. Throughout analyzing the cases the participants got to know the way Chinese courts deal with civil cases. Last part of the workshop was based on the specific features of international civil and commercial disputes resolution in China. Students had an opportunity to solve the cases and discuss them with an expert.
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Polish participants of Warsaw-Beijing Forum: Youth for Business participated in a meeting with Mr. Michał Jezioro – CEO of KGHM Shanghai at company’s headquarters. The expert shared his experience in doing business with the Chinese and presented main characteristics of this cooperation. Furthermore, Mr. Jezioro made a quick SWOT analysis showing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for Polish companies entering Chinese market. KGHM Shanghai’s CEO also pointed out the most attractive sectors for entrepreneurs from Poland. The workshop was full of hints on starting a professional career in Asia as well as remarks of living in China for a few years.
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