Hungary-China, Orban to Xi: “20 years ago the world had only one centre, today it has

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Hungary: Xi Jinping arrives in Budapest for a state visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Budapest for a state visit to Hungary at the invitation of Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orban, yesterday, May 8, 2024. Upon arrival at Budapest Airport, Xi was warmly welcomed by Orban and his wife.

Twenty years ago the world had “a single center”, while today the new world order “has several centers, one of which is China”. The Hungarian Prime Minister said so Viktor Orban, after the meeting with the Chinese president Xi Jinping, visiting Budapest. Orban called it “a great honor” to host Xi in Budapest on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Hungary and China. The last visit of a Chinese president, Hu Jintao, in Hungary happened twenty years ago, in 2004, and the world “was very different at the time,” Orban recalled. “We have overcome a pandemic that killed millions of people,” he said, thanking China for the support provided during the months of the coronavirus pandemic. The Hungarian prime minister also highlighted that for two years “we have been living in the shadow of a war (in Ukraine) and that the risk of a world conflict has never been greater than today. We have quadrupled the value of our economic relations,” continued the head of the Hungarian government. Last year, three-quarters of all foreign investments in Hungary were Chinese. The value of Beijing’s investments in Hungarian territory amounts to “6.400 billion forints” (16,4 billion euros) and employs “tens of thousands of people”.

Xi’s visit to the Hungarian capital coincided with the signing of 18 cooperation agreements spanning various fields, including electric mobility, the railway sector, information technologies, investment cooperation and Hungarian agri-food exports in China. “The cooperation also extends to the nuclear industry”, highlighted the Head of the Hungarian Government. “It is a great honor that China has invited us to participate in the modernization of its economy and it is a great honor that China is willing to participate in the development and modernization of Hungary,” Orban said.

Xi said he was happy with the opportunity to visit Budapest and conveyed “warm greetings” from the Chinese people to the Hungarian people. “I had a friendly and productive meeting with the prime minister,” she said. Xi also highlighted that bilateral relations are at an excellent level but need to be further strengthened. On the other hand, already in the speech given after his arrival last night, Xi had underlined that China and Hungary are “good friends and partners united by mutual trust”. President Xi specified that the two countries are entering into a strategic partnership that will direct both along a path of prosperity. Beijing appreciates that Budapest supports the one-China policy and supports Hungary in pursuing its national interests, Xi continued. The Hungarian strategy of “opening towards the East” and the New Silk Road promoted by China “are two compatible initiatives”, he added. China values strategic cooperation with the European Union, which it considers a crucial partner for the development of its economy. For this reason, Xi said, Beijing “will support Hungary to play a more significant role in the EU and promote Sino-European relations.”

Xi was officially welcomed in a ceremony held this morning at Buda Castle and presided over by the Hungarian president Tamas Sulyok. The two heads of state then moved to Palazzo Sandor, seat of the Hungarian presidency, for a conversation that preceded Xi’s meeting with Orban. According to the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, the Chinese president told his counterpart that China is ready to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with Hungary and take Sino-Hungarian relations to a higher level. “President Xi Jinping expressed his willingness to work with President Sulyok to develop traditional friendship, deepen mutual political trust, strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation, and take Sino-Hungarian relations to a higher level,” the chief said of the Chinese state. Xi also invited Sulyok to visit Beijing, an invitation to which the Hungarian head of state responded positively. On the same day that Xi is visiting Budapest, the head of Europe for the Chinese car company BYD, Michael Shu, said in London that the company is considering building a second European electric car plant in 2025 in addition to the one in Szeged, Hungary, announced last December.