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China and the EU Are Partners, Not Rivals, Says Chinese Foreign Minister

MTI-Hungary Today 2023.09.29.

China and the European Union are partners, not rivals, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a telephone conversation with Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó.

“Hungary is the first European country to sign an intergovernmental cooperation document with China on the One Belt One Road cooperation,” Wang Yi said during a telephone conversation with Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, reports the Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

He stressed that

the cooperation between China and Hungary under the strategic guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has yielded fruitful results under the One Belt One Road Initiative, “setting a good example for a new type of international relations.”

Fact

China’s One Belt One Road Initiative (OBOR) economic development and commercial project focuses on improving connectivity and cooperation among multiple countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Announced in the year 2013 with the purpose of restoring the ancient Silk Route that connected Asia and Europe, the project’s scope has been expanded over the years to include new territories and development initiatives. The project currently spans about 78 countries.

“China welcomes Hungary’s participation in the third international cooperation forum of One Belt One Road Initiative,” Wang Yi said, adding that China is ready to “seize this opportunity to strengthen mutual trust and friendship with Hungary, make new strategic plans, and give a new and strong impetus to the development of China-Hungary relations.”

He also mentioned the European Union’s anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles, that he believes violates basic rules of international trade and is likely to disrupt the global automotive supply chain. China is committed to a path of green, low-carbon and sustainable development, in line with the EU’s development direction, he stressed, adding that the development of manufacturing depends on fair competition, not protectionism.

Wang Yi also hopes that the Hungarian side will continue to encourage the European Union to pursue a more positive and open cooperation policy with China,

work with China to effectively implement multilateral cooperation, defend the UN-centered international system and promote the sound and stable development of China-EU relations.

During the telephone conversation, the two sides also agreed that cooperation between the European Union and China should not be reduced, but enhanced, as it would be detrimental to Europe. Péter Szijjártó also thanked his Chinese counterpart for his country’s efforts to bring peace to Ukraine.

Hungarian Ambassador Summoned by Slovak Foreign Ministry
Hungarian Ambassador Summoned by Slovak Foreign Ministry

Jaroslav Nad calls it outrageous that Szijjártó traveled to Slovakia shortly before the early parliamentary elections.Continue reading

Via MTI, Featured image: Facebook/Council of the European Union


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