"We believe in connectivity, in creating and maintaining links, rather than bloc-building," Péter Szijjártó stressed.Continue reading
The European Union will lose out if it perceives China as a rival, as it has become clear in recent years that the Far East country has an advantage in many areas, and therefore cooperation is needed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in Ningbo, China, on Tuesday.
The minister said on the opening of the China-Central Europe trade exhibition that China is Hungary´s strategic partner, the agreement on which was signed in 2017. This is not simply a communication element, the government takes it seriously indeed.
He pointed out that China’s GDP now exceeds that of the EU. He said that in 2010, China’s share of world GDP was only 9 percent, compared to 22 per cent for the EU, but that the situation has now reversed for various reasons, and currently stands at 18 and 17 percent respectively.
“This also shows that if the EU perceives China as a rival, it will lose out. In recent years it has become clear that China has a competitive advantage in many areas of the economy,”
Péter Szijjártó stressed.
He added that if the EU wants to benefit from relations with China, it should focus on cooperation built on mutual respect, trust, and advantages, rather than rivalry.
According to the foreign minister, the Hungarian example demonstrates that much can be gained from fair cooperation, as Hungary has become the number one investment destination for Chinese companies in Central and Eastern Europe, as it is home to the largest number of Confucius Institutes and has direct flights to most Chinese cities.
The minister stated that the government is firmly opposed to the blocks repeatedly being created in the world, as this is contrary to the Hungarian national interest, since throughout history, Central Europe has always been divided by the conflict between East and West.
He underlined that Hungary is a good example here as well, as it has become an important meeting point for Western car manufacturers and Eastern battery manufacturers, who need each other. He pointed out that apart from Germany and China, Hungary is the only country where all three German premium car brands have factories, while four of the world’s ten largest electric battery manufacturers are present in Hungary.
He explained that the value of trade with the province Zhejiang last year reached USD 1.6 billion, which has contributed greatly to breaking the Hungarian-Chinese trade record, making China Hungary’s number one trading partner outside of Europe.
Featured image: MTI/KKM
