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China’s President Received Warm Welcome In Hungary, Serbia

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungary’s prime minister said Thursday that he supports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s peace plan for wartorn Ukraine and contrasted Western concerns about Beijing’s close ties with Russia.

Viktor Orbán spoke after giving Xi extensive red-carpet treatment, including at Budapest’s international airport and talks that also focused on billions in Chinese investments.

Both Hungary and China agreed that the armed conflict should be ended not by providing more weapons to Ukraine but with peace talks.

Kyiv says that would effectively mean giving up territory that Russia illegally annexed since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

Hungary and China also agreed on increased cooperation on nuclear energy, despite possible concerns about it in Brussels.

In addition, there are also billions in investments from China in, among other things, the express train between Belgrade and Budapest, Xi confirmed.

The $2.1 billion project, financed mainly by a loan from China, is part of the “Belt and Road Initiative,” an ambitious plan launched by Xi to build global infrastructure and energy networks connecting Asia with Africa and Europe.

CLOSER TO BEIJING

Orbán began bringing his country closer to Beijing after he came to power in 2010.

Warm political relations turned into investments about a decade later when battery and electric vehicle makers started to bring production to Hungary.

One of the most prominent investors, CATL, is building a 7.3 billion euro ($7.86 billion) battery plant in Debrecen, while Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD said late last year that it was building its first European plant in southern Szeged.

Orbán also clarified that Hungary considers Taiwan part of China, saying that his country supports the “one China” policy.

While Orbán’s government has a secretariat for persecuted Christians, the topic wasn’t mentioned in the public discussions between the two leaders, despite concerns about their plight in Communist-run China.

Xi arrived in Budapest when both nations celebrated 75 years of diplomatic ties and met the recently elected Hungarian President Tamás Súlyok.

He came to Hungary after visiting France and Serbia. In Paris, President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen pressed him to ensure more balanced trade with Europe and use his influence on Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

ONE CHINA POLICY

However, in Serbia’s capital, Xi was met by thousands waving Chinese flags, including many reportedly bused in from the countryside.

“Such respect and love as he will find here in our Serbia, he will not find anywhere else,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic added.

He told the crowd as Xi applauded: “We have a clear and simple position regarding Chinese territorial integrity. Yes, Taiwan is China”.

Beijing claims the self-ruled island as its own and said it will not rule out using force to bring the island under Chinese control.

As the two leaders sat down for meetings, Xi told Vucic in opening comments that there was a “strong feeling of friendship between our two countries.”

On Wednesday, China and Serbia agreed to follow a “shared future” as President Xi Jinping visited the Balkan country as part of his bid to forge stronger relations with allies at the edge of the European Union.

HISTORIC MOVE

It made the Balkan country the first in Europe to agree on such a document with Beijing in a move that was due to raise eyebrows within the European Union, which Serbia seeks to join.

Ahead of his arrival, Xi also recalled the 25th anniversary of the NATO military alliance bombing the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, which killed three Chinese journalists. Xi said the history of both Serbia and China “was soaked in blood.”

Yet the U.S. envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, said Xi’s visit to Europe, his first in five years, was intended to drive a wedge among the European states.

“We caution all of our partners and all of our interlocutors to be very aware of China’s agenda in Europe and China’s agenda with regard to the European community,” he said.

China has claimed neutrality in the Ukraine conflict but has refused to call the Russian assault an invasion and has been accused of bolstering Russia’s military capacity.

Xi expressed hope that his country could gain more influence in the 27-nation bloc and beyond through more China-friendly nations, such as EU member Hungary.