In a statement issued by his ministry, Szijjarto said he had congratulated his counterpart, Wang Yi, on China's 5.5pc GDP growth in the first half, adding that that scale of economic growth paved the way to strengthen cooperation further.

Szijjarto said Chinese companies formed the biggest group of foreign investors in Hungary in the first half of 2025, as in 2023 and 2024. He added that the upgrade of the Budapest-Belgrade rail line would be finished by year-end.

He said the number of Chinese tourists arriving in Hungary had climbed 44pc and now exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Chinese students are the second-largest group of foreigners enrolling at Hungarian universities, he added.

Szijjarto acknowledged China's efforts on the international stage to advocate for peace and said both countries belonged to the peace camp.

Szijjarto said he had met with executives of a number of Chinese companies, including ones from Xiaomi, Chervon Auto and Wanhua.
 

"Based on my talks and negotiations today with executives of big Chinese companies, it is clear that Chinese businesses continue to see Hungary as an attractive investment target," he said.

"Most of those Chinese companies plan capacity expansions and increases in headcount in Hungary," he added.

He said Wanhua now employed over 4,000 people in northeast Hungary, while Chervon had established its only manufacturing base outside of China in the Hungarian city of Miskolc.

"Their investments are in the hundreds of millions of euros," he added.

Xiaomi, whose products are gaining in popularity in Hungary, started local sales through its webshop in August, he said, adding that the sides had discussed opportunities to cooperate in future.

Szijjarto noted that around 31pc of all Chinese FDI in Europe had been in Hungary in 2024. Four of the five biggest Chinese investments in Europe are underway in Hungary, he added.

"Chinese investors continue to provide the stable foundation for Hungarian-Chinese cooperation," Szijjarto said.

Szijjarto represented Hungary at the Victory Day Parade on Wednesday, marking the anniversary of the Japanese surrender in 1945 and the end of WWII.

 

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

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