BEIJING, May 10, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in
Hungary late Wednesday, the final
destination of his European tour. Chinese Ambassador to Hungary
Gong Tao (Gong) shared his views on the significance of the
visit in an interview with Global Times (GT) reporter Wang
Wenwen, reviewing the development of bilateral relations and the
prospect of cooperation between the two countries in the
future.
GT: This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of
diplomatic relations between China
and Hungary. Despite the changing
international situation, the relationship between China and Hungary has continued to develop steadily, and
in 2017, the two countries officially established a comprehensive
strategic partnership. What do you think is the key to the success
of the China-Hungary relationship?
Gong: Hungary was one of the first countries to
recognize and establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and the
relationship between the two countries has weathered storms and
stood the test of time. In recent years, under the strategic
guidance of the leaders of the two countries, China-Hungary
relations have maintained robust growth. Our two countries have had
close high-level exchanges, deepened political mutual trust, made
fruitful and solid progress in cooperation in various fields, and
brought tangible benefits to the two peoples. China and Hungary have developed a comprehensive
strategic partnership. They always respect each other's
independently chosen development paths and domestic and foreign
policies, firmly support enhanced connectivity, and advocate for a
world of multipolarity and inclusive economic globalization. The
two countries firmly oppose decoupling and bloc confrontation. They
are good friends and partners, stand for mutual trust and win-win
cooperation. They are on the path to national development and
rejuvenation, and support maintaining world peace and stability.
Looking ahead, the cooperation opportunities and prospects in
various fields such as economy, trade, finance, innovation and
culture between China and
Hungary are limitless and
broad.
On the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic
relations between the two countries, President Xi's state visit to
Hungary comes at the invitation of
President Tamás Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. This visit sends a strong signal
to further promote bilateral relations. This milestone visit will
elevate bilateral relations to a new height, open a new chapter in
China-Hungary friendship and cooperation, inject
impetus into China-EU relations, and provide elements of stability
and positive energy to a turbulent world.
GT: Hungary is the first
European country to sign a Belt and Road cooperation document with
China, and we have seen fruitful
results in China-Hungary cooperation under the Belt and Road
Initiative (BRI). Last year, the Third Belt and Road Forum for
International Cooperation (BRF) was held in Beijing, and the construction of the BRI has
entered a new stage of high-quality development. Could you
introduce what new characteristics and directions China-Hungary
cooperation under the BRI will have in the future?
Gong: China and Hungary are steadfast partners in promoting
cooperation under the BRI. Hungary
is the first European country to sign a Belt and Road cooperation
document with China. Prime
Minister Orbán has attended the BRF in China three times in a row, and President Xi
has met with him multiple times. Under the strategic guidance of
the leaders of both countries, the BRI and Hungary's Opening to the East policy are
closely aligned, unleashing strong vitality and creating a number
of high-quality cooperation projects. The 10 years of BRI
cooperation between the two countries can be described as a golden
period of rapid development in economic and trade cooperation
between the two countries. In the future, the two sides will
continue to promote high-quality joint construction of the BRI in
key areas such as digital economy, green development, and
information technology.
The two sides will further strengthen policy communication and
coordination, rely on mechanisms such as the inter-governmental
Belt and Road cooperation committee, the China-Hungary Economic
Joint Committee, and e-commerce working groups to enhance strategic
alignment. The two sides will actively explore new areas of
cooperation and strengthen cooperation in new energy vehicles. They
will also jointly create a model of win-win cooperation in the
automotive industry chain between China and Europe, support the innovation of more
high-quality financial products by financial institutions in both
countries to provide strong support for cooperation, encourage the
opening of more direct flights for passengers and cargo, and
construct a land and air "Silk Road." The two sides will continue
to deepen people-to-people exchanges, expand cooperation in
education, culture, science and technology, tourism, and local
areas, encourage exchanges between young people in both countries,
promote mutual understanding between the people of the two
countries, and enhance mutual understanding.
GT: The new energy industry chain, including electric vehicles
and power batteries, has been the focus of recent investment by
Chinese enterprises in Hungary.
Why has Hungary become a
bridgehead for the investment of Chinese enterprises in
Europe?
Gong: Due to the friendly relations between
China and Hungary and the favorable investment
environment in Hungary in recent
years, more and more Chinese enterprises have made Hungary their first choice for investment in
the EU. The automotive industry is one of the pillar industries of
Hungary's economy, and more than
14 of the world's top 20 automakers have established complete
vehicle manufacturing plants and auto parts production bases in
Hungary. In 2016, the Hungarian
government also specifically formulated the development plan for
electric vehicles, which provides a good foundation for the
development of the electric vehicle industry in Hungary. At the same time, China has the advantages of advanced
technology, broad market and high maturity in the global new energy
industry. Both sides have complementary advantages and great
potential for cooperation. Hungarians from all walks of life highly
welcome Chinese enterprises related to electric vehicle industry
chain to invest in Hungary, and
they believe that the relevant investment and cooperation will
further consolidate the foundation of Hungary's long-term economic growth,
strengthen Hungary's position in
the global transformation of electric vehicles, and enable
Hungary to maintain its
advantageous position in international competition.
GT: How has Hungary been able to maintain a consistently
positive stance toward China? What
changes might Hungary's role as
the EU rotating presidency bring to China-EU relations?
Gong: The Hungarian government has always adhered to an
independent domestic and foreign policy, staunchly supporting
East-West connectivity.
China appreciates Hungary's commitment to being a force for
peace and stability in Europe
under complex international circumstances, valuing Hungary's efforts to eliminate disturbances
and pressures to deepen cooperation with China. The mutually beneficial cooperation
between China and Hungary in various fields has benefited the
people of both countries. Moreover, it has also strongly
demonstrated that China represents
an opportunity, not a challenge, and a partner, not a competitor,
to Europe.
In the second half of this year, as Hungary takes over the rotating presidency of
the EU, we hope that Hungary will
encourage the EU to view China's
development in a rational and friendly manner, adopt a more
positive and pragmatic policy toward China, strengthen China-EU strategic
communication, create more positive expectations for mutually
beneficial cooperation, and promote the continuous, stable, and
healthy development of China-EU relations.
GT: Starting March 14,
China has implemented a visa-free
policy for ordinary passport holders from Hungary and five other countries. Hungary will also issue long-term visas to
Chinese citizens visiting the country for investment and business
cooperation. Could you elaborate on the implementation of these
measures and their impact on China-Hungary
economic, tourism cooperation, cultural and people-to-people
exchanges?
Gong: China and Hungary respect, understand, and appreciate
each other. Following China's
announcement of the visa-free policy for Hungary and other countries, Foreign Minister
Szijjártó immediately announced on behalf of the Hungarian
government the facilitation of issuing five-year, multiple-entry
visas for Chinese citizens on business trips. This is another
concrete manifestation of the high-level development of
China-Hungary relations. These measures have further
facilitated the movement of people between the two countries.
Recently, Air China increased the number of direct flights from
Beijing to Budapest, and China Southern Airlines will
soon launch direct flights from Guangzhou to Budapest. The economic, tourism and cultural
exchanges between China and
Hungary will become smoother.
In terms of Chinese language teaching and studying in China, Hungary has always been at the forefront among
European countries. Hungary hosts
five Confucius Institutes and one Hungarian-Chinese bilingual
school, while China has 12
universities offering Hungarian language majors. Both sides also
have cultural centers in each other's countries. On the eve of last
year's Spring Festival, President Xi personally replied to students
from the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school, encouraging the
Hungarian youths to learn more about China and become envoys of the China-Hungary
friendship. I believe that the youth of both countries will become
the driving force in promoting China-Hungary
friendship, passing down the traditional friendship from generation
to generation.
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SOURCE Global Times