Guo Weimin, vice-minister of the State Council Information Office, visits the "Beautiful China, Beautiful Poland" exhibition with Polish guests. [Photo: Xinhua]

A photo exhibition opened on Tuesday in Warsaw, Poland, showcasing pictures of that country and China to help boost cultural exchanges between the two ahead of President Xi Jinping's first state visit to this country.

The "Beautiful China, Beautiful Poland" exhibition, organized by China's State Council Information Office and Chinese embassy to Poland, features more than 40 photos from both countries. Besides putting natural scenery and rich culture on display, the exhibition also tells the stories of the ever-developing friendship between the two countries and their people over the years, said Guo Weimin, vice-minister of the State Council Information Office.

Poland was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with China after the founding of New China in 1949. The Belt and Road initiative proposed by Xi in 2013 will further deepen cooperation in trade and people exchanges between the two countries, Guo said.

Xi's visit is expected to take the strategic relationship between China and Poland, which was established in 2011, to a new level, he added.

Xi will pay state visits to Serbia, Poland and Uzbekistan from June 17 to 22, China's Foreign Ministry announced on Monday. He will also attend the 16th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on June 23 and 24.