Hungary has rolled out the red carpet for Xi Jinping in a show of warmth that contrasts with wariness in the rest of the EU about China’s stance on trade, global politics and human rights.
On the third and final stop of his first European tour in five years, Mr Xi was given a ceremonial welcome by Hungary’s president, Tamás Sulyok, at Buda Castle, in Budapest, before talks with Viktor Orban. The Hungarian prime minister, the EU’s longest-serving leader, has sought to deepen ties with Beijing and blocked EU motions criticising China’s human rights abuses.
Mr Xi arrived in Hungary late on Wednesday, after stops in Serbia and France, and was met at the airport by Mr Orbán. “Welcome to Hungary, President Xi,” Mr Orbán posted on X with a picture of the two men shaking hands and smiling warmly.
Mr Orbán’s political director, Bálasz Orbán (no relation), told local media that Mr Xi’s visit was “confirmation of the effectiveness of Hungary’s connectivity strategy”. In an article for Euronews, he wrote that “Europe must also recognise that the evolving geopolitical environment requires a strategy of prudent connectivity”, and he hoped “cooler heads will soon have a chance to prevail”.
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The EU in 2019 declared China “a systemic rival” and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said last year that Europe needed to “de-risk” its relations with Beijing, meaning, in part, cutting dependency on Chinese supply chains.
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Hungary, which is marking 75 years of diplomatic relations with Beijing, has distanced itself from the EU strategy.
The central European country has received billions in Chinese investment and hosts Huawei’s largest base outside China. The Chinese carmaker BYD will soon open a factory for electric vehicles in Szeged, southern Hungary, its first production line for battery-powered cars in Europe, creating a significant challenge for European companies in the heart of the EU.
In comments carried on China’s state news agency, Xinhua, Mr Xi said the China-Hungary relationship was “now at its best in history”.
“The two sides should adhere to win-win co-operation, expand co-operation in various fields within the framework of the belt-and-road co-operation, and synergise their respective development strategies,” Mr Xi said.
Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, has said 16-18 co-operation agreements would be signed during Mr Xi’s visit, one of which could be a large-scale infrastructure scheme within China’s vast belt-and-road project.
Meanwhile, a Hungarian politician with the opposition Momentum party told Associated Press that he and a colleague had been approached by a confrontational group of men on Wednesday as they attempted to place EU flags on a Budapest bridge. Márton Tompos said the men, all wearing red baseball caps, confronted him to make sure no flags or symbols referencing Tibet or Taiwan, claimed by China, would be hung on the route of Mr Xi’s motorcade.
The visit to Hungary follows a similarly friendly welcome in Serbia, where president Aleksandar Vučić told Mr Xi that “Taiwan is China”. Serbia has long backed China’s claim to the self-governing island and has Beijing’s support for its claim to Kosovo.
In France, Ms von der Leyen warned Mr Xi that Europe would not hesitate to protect its industries from China’s state-subsidised electric cars, steel, solar and wind technology. The European Commission has been promoting an alternative to the belt-and-road, the global gateway, to fund infrastructure projects worldwide. – Guardian