Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok (d) and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping review the guard of honor in Budapest, May 9, 2024 (POOL/AFP/Zoltan MATHE)
After Paris and Belgrade, Chinese President Xi Jinping praised Thursday the strength of the ties uniting his country with Hungary, the last stop on his European tour, between flourishing economic cooperation and convergence of views on the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
After a military parade alongside the Hungarian head of state Tamas Sulyok, he met at the Carmelite monastery, the Prime Minister’s residence, to meet Viktor Orban and make a statement to the press.
For this visit described as “historic” by Budapest, the capital decorated in the colors of China was placed under high security and the rare flags displayed by Tibetan demonstrators carefully hidden from the view of the Chinese president.
“Sino-Hungarian relations are at their peak” in 75 years of history, welcomed Xi Jinping, according to a report from the Chinese authorities.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan upon their arrival at Budapest airport, May 8, 2024 in Hungary (POOL/AFP/Szilard KOSZTICSAK)
Before his arrival, he had compared them to a “golden cruise”, in a column published by the pro-government newspaper Magyar Nemzet.
“We challenged the geopolitical order together in an unstable international context,” charting our course “as sovereign states in complete independence,” he wrote.
– 16 chords –
A nod to the go-it-alone strategy led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban within the European Union.
While scrambling with Brussels, the nationalist leader has resolutely turned towards the East in recent years. And when Brussels distanced itself from Beijing, it instead strengthened ties, rejecting the ideological confrontation of the “blocs”.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (l) welcomed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at Budapest airport, May 8, 2024 in Hungary (POOL/AFP/Vivien Cher Benko)
This stay of almost three days is an opportunity to “take our strategic partnership to new heights”, said the Chinese head of state, from cultural exchanges to economic cooperation, while the Asian superpower has become the leading investor in Hungary last year.
For Viktor Orban, it is a diplomatic success. The choice made by Xi Jinping to visit Paris and Budapest within the EU “shows the importance that Hungary is taking on the international scene”, welcomed his chief of staff Gergely Gulyas.
Budapest has already announced the signing of at least 16 agreements, in rail and road infrastructure, nuclear energy and even automobiles.
Across the country, battery and electric car factories are growing at an impressive speed, requiring investments of tens of billions of euros.
Enough to arouse the concerns of the opposition which denounces the opacity surrounding contracts, the environmental impact of factories and corruption, the constructions enriching, according to it, “Orban’s circle”.
– Message to the EU –
Welcomed Monday under the gold of the Elysée in Paris, Xi Jinping had “frank” exchanges with French President Emmanuel Macron on China-Europe trade disputes or even Beijing-Moscow links, viewed with suspicion by Westerners against the background of war in Ukraine.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (c) and his wife Peng Liyuan (g) welcomed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (d) at Budapest airport, May 8, 2024 in Hungary (POOL/AFP/Vivien Cher Benko)
But during this final Hungarian stage, the media were kept away and there were no angry subjects.
Because Beijing and Budapest are on the same wavelength, pleading for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine while remaining close to the Kremlin.
Xi Jinping likes to highlight this European ally, his visit “symbolizing China’s efforts to establish a dissident voice in discussions with the EU and weaken the unity of the bloc”, believes Claus Soong, analyst at the Mercator Institute based in Berlin.
On the outskirts of the Carmelite monastery, with a view overlooking the Danube, many tourists, wearing sunglasses, are surprised by the extensive security system, with the police blocking access to the site.
“Ah! The prince of China is here!”, reacts with a smile an Israeli visitor, disappointed at not being able to take the funicular going up to Buda Castle.
In the surrounding streets, a handful of protesters had donned the costume of Winnie the Pooh, the Chinese leader often being mocked for his physical resemblance, according to some, to the famous honey-loving cartoon character.
burs-anb-ehl/bg/ybl
© 2024 AFP
Did you like this article ? Share it with your friends using the buttons below.
