Chinese foreign minister calls for sound China-Europe ties, injecting greater stability to turbulent world

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 16, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto on Monday in Beijing.

Hungary is the first European country that signed inter-governmental agreements on Belt and Road cooperation with China, and the Belt and Road cooperation between the two countries has yielded fruitful results in the past decade, said Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

He said China looks forward to expanding pragmatic cooperation with Hungary in multiple fields including infrastructure, trade, investment and finance, and accelerating the development of major projects.

China and Europe are partners rather than rivals, and their common understandings far outweigh their differences, the Chinese foreign minister said.

He added that China stands ready to work with the European side to promote the sustained, sound and steady growth of China-Europe relations in order to inject greater stability and certainty into a world fraught with transformation and turbulence.

China appreciates Hungary's support for the development of China-Europe relations and mutually beneficial cooperation, and hopes that Hungary will continue to play a constructive role in this regard.

Vowing to continue to actively participate in Belt and Road cooperation and stay committed to deepening Hungary-China and Europe-China cooperation in various fields, Szijjarto said Hungary opposes decoupling or severing supply chains. He said the so-called "de-risking" is, on the contrary, exposing Europe to risks.

Hungary highly appreciates China's voice of peace on the Ukraine issue, and supports China's position and proposition on the political settlement of the issue, Szijjarto said.

The two sides exchanged views on the tension between Palestine and Israel.

Noting that the two-state solution is the ultimate approach for resolving the Palestinian-Israeli issue, Wang said the international community should promote early de-escalation and ceasefire to prevent a serious humanitarian crisis.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 16, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]