For prospective Chinese investors, he suggests it is important for them to find the right project before entering the Polish market. As there are some differences in the local laws and regulations compared with those of the European Union, Feng says thorough research and the hire of a competent local legal consultant are advisable.

However, industrial experts say insufficient Chinese investment activities in Poland does not necessarily mean short of Chinese interest in investing in the region.

Andrzej Blach, a Beijing-based Polish lawyer for an International law firm CMS, says in Poland currently there are no tenders going on without at least one interested Chinese participant, but these companies are often unsuccessful in their bids, and this is where he sees room for improvement.

"This improvement would need to come in part from the host country and host company organizing the tender, but it's primarily the Chinese investors or the companies that interested in investing in Central and Eastern Europe, and in particular Poland, that need to improve their bid processes," Blach explains.

He says even though Chinese investors are sophisticated in terms of leaving China and going abroad to invest and take part in ventures, they are not always entirely prepared for the cultural and legal landscape of Europe which is different from many other areas where they are successful such as Africa and the Middle East, and to some extent Latin America.

But Blach believes that Poland would benefit from accepting Chinese investors as Chinese companies bring reliable technology and good products at competitive prices.

"Still there is a lot of work to be done by Chinese investors. Companies don't necessarily want the lowest prices anymore and they want reliability and certainty," says Blach, who is confident that many Chinese companies will be able to do it, and they just need to send a strong message to their Polish counterparts that it is not just about the price.

(Sheng Qing contributed to this story)

To contact the reporter: [email protected]

Editor: Chris Peterson