The country is often criticized for its relations with China, but still lags far behind Western European countries in economic cooperation.Continue reading
During his European visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping will also come to Hungary in early May, after France and Serbia, Szabad Európa reports, citing two independent unnamed sources.
According to the sources, Xi Jinping will arrive in France on May 5 for two days and then visit Belgrade. The visit to Serbia was announced by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić at the end of February, but he did not give an exact date at the time.
The site reports that the Chinese president will arrive in Budapest after Belgrade.
Last time, Xi Jinping paid a four-day official visit to Hungary in October 2009, when he was vice-president of the People’s Republic of China. He was received by Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai alongside President László Sólyom, and fifteen bilateral agreements were signed.
The upcoming visit is of great importance, not only because the Chinese president represents a superpower, but also because he has not been to Europe since the outbreak of the coronavirus. The Chinese president’s last official visit took place in Vietnam in December last year. In 2023, Xi Jinping also visited Moscow in March and the United States in November.
Xi Jinping last met with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Beijing last October at the third international forum of the One Belt, One Road initiative. The Chinese President called the Hungarian Prime Minister an old friend and noted that 2024 will mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Hungary.
Two months later, at the end of December, it was announced that China’s BYD, one of the world’s largest electric car manufacturers, would build a factory in Szeged (southern Hungary). In addition to BYD, other Chinese companies have also recently started investing in Hungary, such as electric battery manufacturers, CATL, Eve Power and SEMCORP, that are building factories in Debrecen (eastern Hungary).
However, it is not only in the battery and car manufacturing sector that cooperation is visible. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced last month that China will provide visa-free travel for Hungarian citizens until the end of November. It was also revealed in March that under an agreement, police officers from the two countries will be able to patrol together. In addition, during a visit to China two weeks ago, Finance Minister Varga Mihály announced an agreement to launch a new cargo flight between China and Hungary.
Via Szabad Európa, Featured image: Facebook/Orbán Viktor
