Katowice contacts with China predominantly concentrate on current cooperation with Shenyang, its latest partner city. The basis for the development of contacts includes first and foremost science, education, culture, sport, mutual promotion of cities and regions, and above all trade exchange and economic cooperation.

In May this year, officials of the Katowice Special Economic Zone met in Katowice with officials from the Shenyang self government and the local business people responsible for the creation and functioning of the Special Economic Zone for European Investors in Shenyang.


The two cities started to develop contacts three years ago at the initiative of Shenyang officials and were supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Beijing. The Embassy provided support for mutual relations, stressing the openness of the Chinese economy to foreign contacts. The agreements already made with Chinese partners by other Polish cities provided examples for such cooperation, as well as the experience of Katowice’s European partner cities in contacts with Chinese cities.

The Katowice and Silesian province economic partnership has created a lot of interest among the Katowice business circles. They revolve around mining, and in particular the partnership provides excellent support for companies that are involved in the production of mining machinery and equipment.
“The agreement between the city of Shenyang of the People’s Republic of China and the city of Katowice of the Republic of Poland in regard to the establishment of cooperation between sister cities” marked the crowning of the initiatives undertaken and projects already planned in the past.
This official and binding document was signed on 6 June 2007 in Shenyang. It was preceded by an official letter of intent in 2006.