Orbán, Szijjártó Meet Chinese PM, CBank Head
- 9 Jul 2018 10:05 AM
- Hungary Matters
Cooperation between Hungary and China is expanding dynamically in all areas, Hungary’s foreign minister told public media in Sofia, after talks with Chinese premier Li Keqiang and Bank of China chairman Chen Siqing.
Péter Szijjártó was in the Bulgarian capital with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s delegation for an annual China-CEE “16+1” summit held on Friday and Saturday.
Szijjártó said trade turnover between Hungary and China broke every record last year. Hungary will do its utmost to ensure that cooperation between China and central and eastern European countries continues to expand, he said.
As a way of further promoting China-CEE cooperation, Budapest will play host to a meeting of the central bank heads of the 17 countries, he added.
It has also been decided that the coordination centre of the China-East- Mid-European Interbank Association will be set up in Budapest, he said.
To mark next year’s 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries, Hungary and China have decided to put together a long-term, 5-7-point action plan with a view to elevating bilateral ties to a “new dimension”, Szijjártó said. The action plan will be compiled by the Hungarian-Chinese economic mixed committee.
The plan will cover economic cooperation, infrastructure developments as well as education cooperation with the aim to improve Hungary’s and the central European region’s competitiveness and deepen ties with China, the minister said.
Szijjártó called the upgrade of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line the “flagship” project of China- CEE cooperation in the area of infrastructure development. The railway line would be the fastest route for Chinese goods from the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road to western Europe.
The project is expected to be completed by 2023 and the construction contract will be signed with the winning bidder later this year, he said.
MTI Photo: Szecsődi Balázs
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