Same Eastern Europe,Different Attitudes Towards China

2019 marks the 70^th anniversary of the founding of People’s Republic of China.It also marks the 70^th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and Bulgaria,and China and Poland.With only three days difference,Bulgaria,on October 4,1949,and Poland,on October 7,1949,the two countries officially recognized the People’s Republic of China and established diplomatic relations with this new state entity.During these almost seventy years,the development of both Sino-Bulgarian and Sino-Polish ties met some tension and difficult moments,however,they succeeded in strengthening,improving more and expanding further.This study is devoted to the foreign policies of Bulgaria and Poland towards China.Its aim is to examine the differences between the foreign policies of Bulgaria and Poland towards China after 1989.The rationale is to analyze both Sino-Bulgarian and Sino-Polish relations,and both the Bulgarian and Polish attitudes towards the People’s Repub-lic of China.It is argued that there is the ideological difference between Bulgaria and Po-land–Bulgaria is more pragmatic and friendly towards China whereas Poland is less friendly because it is more ideologically committed.No matter how similar Bulgaria and Poland are,as long as Poland considers itself more Western European rather than Eastern and bears the values from the 1989 transformation period,the differences between Bul-garia’s and Poland’s foreign policies towards China will continue to exist.