Leader of NATO member Poland visits China, talks to Xi about Ukraine, peace and trade

BEIJING (AP) — Polish President Andrzej Duda has met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for talks on Ukraine, peace and bilateral trade on a visit to Beijing that brings the leader of a NATO member to a country that has backed Russia in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Duda told Xi at the meeting on Monday that relations between the former Russian-allied nation that inspired democratic movements with its push for democracy and China remain strong. The Russia-Ukraine conflict was on the agenda and Duda later said that Poland’s point of view “has been heard.” Poland borders Ukraine and Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave and has maintained a hard line against further expansion of Russian aggression. Xi promised a short-term visit visa waiver for Poles.