Before the historic visit – – 2024-05-14 00:30:51

Hungary-China

Written by Rainer Ackermann

The Chinese President’s visit to Budapest is of historical significance, said government spokeswoman Eszter Vitályos at a press conference in advance.

President Xi Jinping will meet with President Tamás Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Thursday as part of his official visit program. (Viktor Orbán was most recently a guest of Xi Jinping in Beijing in October 2023.) The negotiations are primarily about deepening economic relations; a dozen and a half agreements will “definitely” be signed, said the government spokeswoman. The importance of the visit underlines the fact that the last time a Chinese president visited Hungary was exactly twenty years ago and that Xi Jinping, in addition to Budapest, only visited Paris and Belgrade on his current trip to Europe. (In the French capital, the distinguished guest negotiated alongside President Emmanuel Macron and also with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.)

Attractive for financial investors

China is in the TOP 10 of Hungary’s most important trading partners and is considered No. 1 outside the EU. In both 2020 and again in 2023, most foreign investments came to Hungary from China. This development cannot be viewed in isolation from the fact that Hungary is now one of the pioneers of the revolution in the automotive industry on a global scale, said Vitályos. Chinese investors expect an attractive environment in this country in the future, with the spokeswoman describing cooperation in the field of finance as particularly promising. Budapest sees itself not only as a regional financial center, but also as a bridgehead for the Chinese in the EU.

Peace plan for Ukraine

Another extremely important item on the agenda is the Chinese peace plan for Ukraine, which Hungary welcomes. “China is without question one of the strongest states in the peace camp. There is absolute agreement between us on the issue of the war in Ukraine,” emphasized the government spokeswoman.

Hungary and China will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in October. Numerous cultural events in both countries will be dedicated to this event. There are currently 214 Hungarians studying Chinese at ELTE, 556 children at primary schools and 294 young people at high schools learning Chinese. As part of the Hungaricum scholarship, Hungary has 200 study places available for applicants from China.

Already on Tuesday in Paris, Xi Jinping announced that China would extend the visa exemption for citizens of ten EU countries, including Hungary, until the end of 2025.