Information
Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to hold talks with Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, on Thursday in Budapest. Xi arrived in Hungary on Wednesday evening, after meeting leaders in France and Serbia on his first state visit to Europe since 2019. In the Hungarian pro-government daily Magyar Nemzet, Xi wrote that he “developed deep friendships” with Hungarian politicians. He also described Hungary as “the number one target in the central eastern European region for Chinese investment.” China’s Xi arrives in Serbia to boost ties
Russia’s war in Ukraine is likely to be a topic of discussion. Earlier this week in Paris, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron sought to press Xi to use his influence on Moscow to end the conflict. China and Hungary are also expected to sign more than 16 new cooperation agreements, according to Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. Those agreements could include a large-scale infrastructure project within the Belt and Road Initiative, Szijjarto told the press earlier this week. Budapest was the first EU member nation that joined the Belt and Road Initiative — the plan launched by Xi in 2013 to build networks connecting Asia, Africa and Europe. It’s unclear whether there could also be an agreement on security after China offered in February to cooperate on public security and law enforcement issues.
Source: AFP, AP
So what
Following some significant blows to their influence across Europe, China is likely trying to ensure some of their remaining inroads into the bloc are still open, and it is likely Hungary is this vessel due to the government’s alignment with authoritarian rule and overall control. One hot topic that is not clear yet following this meeting is the security agreement mentioned in the last paragraph. It has been mentioned in the past that Chinese police may soon be patrolling the streets of Budapest; something that would pose a significant security concern to not just Hungarians and tourists to the country but to all of the EU.
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