Leader of NATO member Poland visits China, expecting to talk to Xi about Ukraine

BEIJING (AP) — Poland’s President Andrzej Duda is in China on a visit that brings the leader of a NATO member to a country that has backed Russia in its full-on invasion of Ukraine. Duda said in an interview earlier that Poland would like to maintain its friendly relations with China. Duda was scheduled to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Monday and has said peace in Ukraine will be discussed. China says it is neutral in the fighting but has blamed NATO’s expansion for provoking Russian President Vladimir Putin into launching the invasion. Poland borders Ukraine and has maintained a hard line against further expansion of Russian aggression. Some trade agreements also are to be signed during the visit.