The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) presents European nations with an unprecedented opportunity to bolster trade relations through its extensive network of infrastructure projects and trade routes, said Peter Medgyessy, former Hungarian prime minister.
Hungary is the last leg of Chinese President Xi Jinping's three-nation European tour from May 5 to 10 which has already taken him to France and Serbia.
During Xi's state visit to Hungary, China and Hungary have signed a series of bilateral agreements, covering areas such as investment, culture, and Belt and Road cooperation.
In a recent interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Budapest, Medgyessy noted that the BRI has provided Hungary with the opportunity to strengthen relations and engage in infrastructure projects. "We have some traditions with China because the history started on the Silk Road to have relations with China and Hungary. And we have some traditions very good traditions. And that's 75 years we made the diplomatic relations with China. So in 2002-2003 started a new era of the relations between Hungary and China, because we recognized in Hungary that China will be one of the most important powers in the world," Medgyessy said.
"We were looking for an opportunity for Hungary. This initiative opened the doors to the better relations and the concrete projects. I give an example. We have the project, the railway development between Belgrade and Budapest and I think this is good for the both countries. Good for China because they make the investment but also good for the other countries because it opens the opportunity to continue and to have the very good and very, very intensive trade relations not only between Serbia and Hungary, but between Western Europe and Eastern Europe," the former prime minister said.
He said that good China-Hungary relations are also good for Europe.
"I see there are a lot of doubts in Western world, in the European Union too, because we have very good relations with China. But frankly speaking, I don't have doubts. This is good for Hungary and good for China and for Europe, too, because it's not a question either of Europe or China. More China doesn't mean more or less Europe. We need the good relations and we try to have the turntable between Europe and China and this Belt and Road initiative gives this opportunity to make closer between Europe and China," he said.
BRI opens door for better trade relations between China and European nations: former Hungarian PM
