Anxious Unfamiliar Brothers: The Establishment of Chipolbrok and Polish Policy Towards China (1950–1951)

Chipolbrok, one of the first Sino–foreign joint ventures following the formation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, bore witness to Sino–Polish relations throughout the Cold War. Drawing on extensive archives from the Chinese and Polish authorities, this study analyses the twists and turns in the establishment of Chipolbrok, which reflect Poland’s repeated trade-offs between satisfying its national self-interests and obeying its internationalist obligations in the course of developing its relations with China. The article argues that the establishment of Chipolbrok cannot be solely attributed to the Soviet factor but also to critical Chinese concessions on exports to Poland.