China and Hungary embark on a "gold-bearing journey" in their bilateral relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping said after his meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest - the third and last stop of Xi's European tour, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The agency notes that under Orbán's leadership, Hungary has become an important trade and investment partner for China, unlike some other EU countries that are considering reducing their dependence on goods from the world's second-largest economy. Xi arrived in Budapest on Wednesday night after visiting France and Serbia. French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pressed him to ensure more balanced trade with Europe and use his influence with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, Reuters recalls.
Xi and Orbán said after their meeting that the two countries had elevated their ties to a "comprehensive and year-round strategic partnership". "We are ready to take this as a new starting point to push bilateral relations and pragmatic cooperation into a gold-bearing channel and move to a higher level," Xi said.
This means the two countries should expand their cooperation to the nuclear industry, Orbán said. Beijing and Budapest will also promote the construction of key projects, including the reconstruction of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line, the Chinese president said.
The $2.1 billion project, most of which is financed by a loan from China, is part of China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative. It was launched a decade ago with the hope of building global infrastructure and energy networks connecting Asia with Africa and Europe.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijártó announced on "Facebook" that after the meeting today, Hungary and China signed 18 agreements. The two countries will begin preparations to build a railway line around Budapest that will help transport goods produced by Chinese factories in eastern Hungary to markets in western Europe. Hungary and China will also begin preparations for a high-speed railway connecting the center of Budapest and its airport.
Relations between China and Hungary, marking the 75th year of diplomatic ties, go beyond trade and investment, as Beijing offered Budapest cooperation on public security and law enforcement in February. Since taking office in 2010, Orbán has been making efforts to bring his country closer to China, according to Reuters.