The Chinese President was in Hungary from Wednesday evening to Friday morning. It was the first visit by a Chinese head of state in twenty years.
On Thursday morning, President Xi Jinping and his wife were received with military honors at the Lion Court of Buda Castle. They attended the ceremony of honorary associations of the Hungarian Army together with their host, President Tamás Sulyok and his wife. Sulyok then waited for the distinguished guest at the official reception in the Sándor Palace.
Xi said the basis for cooperation between the two countries is respect and mutual trust. “In times of need you recognize your true friends,” the Chinese state guest quoted an old Hungarian saying. Sulyok referred to the passage in the Hungarian Basic Law to respect the freedom and culture of other peoples and to strive for cooperation with all peoples of the world. Hungary sees no dangers in the interaction between East and West, but rather opportunities, and in this sense wants to continue to play a bridging role.
China’s President wished Hungary every success for the Council Presidency in the second half of the year, combined with the hope that Budapest would advance the pragmatic approach in relations with China within the Community. He invited his Hungarian counterpart to visit Beijing. Sulyok gladly accepted this invitation.
On Thursday followingnoon, two rounds of negotiations between both delegations took place in the Carmelite Monastery, the official residence of Prime Minister Orbán. Participants from the Hungarian side, in addition to Orbán, included: Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, Finance Minister Mihály Varga, Economy Minister Márton Nagy, Construction and Transport Minister János Lázár, EU Minister János Bóka, HIPA boss István Joó and the Prime Minister’s political director, Balázs Orbán .
Dynamic economic relationships
After negotiations lasting several hours, Xi and Orbán appeared in front of the cameras, also in the Carmelite monastery. Both spoke of a strategic partnership. “We live in a multipolar world that is changing rapidly. What is constant, however, is the close friendship between our peoples,” Orbán said at the start of the joint press conference.
Economic relations have developed intensively over the last twenty years. The trading volume has roughly quadrupled. There are now direct flights from Budapest to seven Chinese cities. While there was once hardly any investment from China in Hungary, projects with a total volume of 6,400 billion forints (approx. 16.5 billion euros) are currently underway.
Hungarians have the ambition to conquer the 21st century, with the help of the most modern technologies from China. Orbán specifically mentioned electromobility, rail transport and the IT sector, where the support of the major partner is relied upon. Hungary, in turn, would like to strengthen its position as an agricultural exporter in China and expand current cooperation to include nuclear energy.
Always friends
The Chinese President also spoke out in favor of a continued deepening of economic relations. Xi Jinping mentioned the Budapest-Belgrade railway line as a flagship project. The New Silk Road project promoted by China is compatible with Hungary’s policy of opening up to the East.
“China and Hungary have always been friends, but the relationship between the two countries is currently the best in their history,” Xi Jinping stressed. He noted that relations between the two countries should be further developed, which is why a declaration on a comprehensive strategic partnership has been prepared.
The Chinese president recalled that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Over the past 75 years, both sides have always followed the path of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit in order to steer their relations in the right direction. China sees Europe as an important pole and supports Hungary in playing a more important role in the EU.
Before the press conference, representatives of both countries signed agreements and memorandums of understanding on cooperation in the fields of economics, finance, agriculture, media and culture.
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