BEIJING, May 10, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Hungary-China
cooperation will continue to expand in the future, and the visit by
Chinese President Xi Jinping to Hungary will help accelerate the development
of bilateral relations and EU-China relations, Gladden Pappin,
President of Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, told the
Global Times in an exclusive interview.
Chinese President Xi is paying state visits to France, Serbia and Hungary from May 5 to
10. The visits are the Chinese president's first trip to
Europe in the past nearly five
years. Xi's trip is expected to enhance bilateral relations with
the three countries and boost their mutually beneficial
cooperation.
Amid the shifting international landscape, President Xi's visit
to Europe will play a crucial role
in restoring normal links between West and East, Pappin told the
Global Times.
The visit to Hungary is
particularly noteworthy given the strong ties between Budapest and Beijing, which began to deepen with the
announcement of Hungary's Eastern
Opening in 2010. Hungary and
China recognize the importance of
connectivity, and in this light Hungary has become a keystone state for
connecting West and East, according to the expert.
During meetings in Budapest,
the key areas of focus will likely include deepening ties with
Hungary and improving relations
with the EU. President Xi's visit to Budapest is an indication that Hungary's strategy of connectivity stands out
as distinctive and important in today's increasingly divided world,
said Pappin.
Since the beginning of this year, leaders and senior officials
from several European countries have visited China. Pappin said that European leaders see
the importance of good relations with China, even if they are sometimes reluctant to
admit it.
Regular trade and exchange also continue despite the rhetoric of
"decoupling" and "de-risking" in some European countries. "What is
important is for the reality of strong East-West connections to be
reflected in high-level interactions, which serve to help the
exchanges that occur at the levels of business and the economy
generally," said Pappin.
Pappin said that the Hungarian approach to China is part of the country's broader
connectivity strategy, which advocates for pursuing mutually
beneficial and strong relations with as many countries as possible.
Hungary opposes the bloc formation
and views these approaches as against its national interests.
"Hungary's viewpoint is born of
centuries of experience at the gateway of East and West, and we
recognize in particular that Europe stands in need of strong connections
with the rest of the world. The European economy has been built on
the basis of active connections with the rest of the world, and
within that context Hungary has
been urging peaceful global cooperation with a special urgency,"
said Pappin.
Both the Hungary-China and Europe-China
relationships have the potential to benefit all parties, which is
why Hungary has been working to
strengthen both, according to the expert.
China became Hungary's largest source of foreign investment
and largest trading partner outside the European Union last year.
Hungary signed the memorandum of
understanding over China's Belt
and Road Initiative in June 2015,
becoming the first European country to establish a Belt and Road
working group with China.
Pappin also noted that Chinese investments, like the
establishment of battery and electrical vehicle factory, are
delivering capital and jobs to Hungarian communities. They also
help drive economic growth in the country to close the gap between
western Europe and central
Europe.
Hungary-China cooperation will continue to expand in
the future, and the visit by President Xi will help accelerate
bilateral cooperation, said Pappin, noting that while Hungary hopes that Europe's approach to China will improve, it will continue to
promote strong ties between the two sides.
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SOURCE Global Times