ROME, MAY 15 - Orbán's Hungary: China's door into the EU.
The last stop of the tour took place in Hungary, where the president was received by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, with a view to intensifying cooperation on all fronts and strengthening the influence of the Asian giant in the region.
China and Hungary signed a slew of intergovernmental agreements on the sidelines of the visit, though no details were provided by Hungarian state television, the only Hungarian broadcaster allowed to attend the ceremony. Even the outlines of the agreed "comprehensive strategic partnership" are vague. Orbán said the two countries wanted to work together in the nuclear industry, too. "This has not been the case so far," he said.
Beijing sees Budapest as one of China's entry doors into the EU to distribute its products in the bloc, including batteries for electric vehicles. That is why it has invested billions in a country that, with constant friction with Brussels, has become the largest recipient of Chinese investment in the area.
Chinese car battery manufacturer CATL is building its second European factory near the eastern Hungarian city of Debrecen, while Chinese carmaker BYD is due to manufacture passenger cars in southern Szeged as early as next year.
China has also helped finance a new railway line between Belgrade and Budapest as part of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the New Silk Road left by Italy in December. Hungary is the only EU country participating in China's Belt and Road infrastructure and investment initiative.
Orbán, criticised for his authoritarian posture, is the EU leader most favourable to Russia and is inclined to align himself more with Beijing and Moscow, even at the cost of undermining the unity of the EU and NATO.
The Chinese leader Xi called on Hungary, which takes over the EU's rotating presidency in the second half of the year, to "play a bigger role in the EU and push for new and greater development of China-EU relations".
Russian President Putin to visit Beijing.
With Xi Jinping's European tour at an end, he will soon have a high-profile visitor back at home. Following the start of his fifth term in office, Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China this week for his first foreign visit.
The Kremlin leader is expected to arrive in Beijing on Thursday at the invitation of Xi and stay until Friday, China's state news agency Xinhua reported. Putin's last official state visit to Russia's eastern neighbour was almost six years ago.
The choice of China as his first destination after his re-election in March underscores the close ties between the two nuclear powers and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
Since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the imposition of Western sanctions, Russia has been largely internationally isolated. However, China has not condemned the attack and has adopted a neutral stance towards the outside world, while continuing to back its long-standing partner.
(The content is based on news by agencies participating in the enr, in this case AFP, ANSA, dpa, EFE, Lusa, Tanjug).
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