Hungarian Deputy Foreign Minister Levente Magyar declared Thursday May 15 at an EU trade ministers meeting in Brussels that Hungary would “absolutely not” sever economic ties with China, even under pressure from the US President. Magyar identified this as a “red line” in Hungary-US relations, emphasizing that trade relations with China are “very good” and noting that China is one of Hungary’s largest investors.
Boris Guseletov, senior expert at the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Sputnik News (a Russian state media outlet) that Hungary’s position largely aligns with the EU’s stance toward China. He explained that Hungary maintains its sovereignty as China’s partner and won’t sacrifice Chinese cooperation due to American pressure. Guseletov described a diplomatic triangle forming between the US, Europe, and China, with Europeans appreciating China’s independence in tariff confrontations with the US.
Wang Yiwei, professor at Renmin University of China, hopes Hungary’s China policy can serve as a model for Europe. He noted that Hungary has repeatedly vetoed unfriendly China-related proposals within the EU. Chinese investment in Hungary totals 17 billion euros across infrastructure and new energy vehicles sectors. Wang believes Hungary recognizes China’s advantages in traditional and emerging industries, as well as the impracticality of decoupling from China.
Hungary became the first EU country to establish an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership with China, signing 18 cooperation agreements during President Xi Jinping’s May 2024 visit to the state. This support from China comes as Hungary is experiencing record inflation, declining industrial production, and the freezing of over 20 billion euros in EU funds.
Source: Sputnik News, May 17, 2025
https://sputniknews.cn/20250517/1065540017.html