Sino-Hungarian bonds 'getting closer and closer'

Balazs Orban, political director of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said that relations between Hungary and China are "very good "and "the two countries are getting closer and closer".

On his visit to China in October, the Hungarian prime minister was accompanied by the political director. The two Orbans are not related.

China and Hungary are marking the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic ties this year.

"We think that it has a culture of a people-to-people basis. Our countries have been working together for 75 years and it has always been the case," Balazs Orban told China Daily in an interview at Mathias Corvinus Collegium, a large private education institution in Budapest where he is the chairman of the board of trustees.

Balazs Orban said that Hungary sees China as an emerging power that is getting stronger and stronger. During the October visit, he was amazed by China's achievements in technology, economic development and efforts to preserve cultural heritage.

He described the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping a decade ago as a very attractive idea for Hungary from the beginning, because Hungary also believes in building connectivity and seeking practical cooperation.

Prime Minister Orban introduced the Eastern Opening strategy in 2010 to expand economic and trade ties with the East.

Balazs Orban said that there is a lot of potential for mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Hungary. He was happy to see the two leaders have "very good personal connections" and he hopes such personal ties will help further strengthen Hungarian-Chinese relations.

Under the leadership of President Xi and Prime Minister Orban, the political director said that Chinese-Hungarian relations are "flourishing" based on pragmatic and win-win cooperation.

He said that Hungarians are "very honored and delighted" that Xi is visiting the country. "So we hope that this visit will be a perfect opportunity to finalize new projects where we can mutually benefit," he said.

Balazs Orban said he believes the European Union should also work like this with the rest of the world to boost mutual trust and seek practical economic cooperation, clearly referring to the growing tensions in EU-China relations.

The political director said that during his latest visit, he was impressed that Hungary and China have a very similar mindset regarding the changing world order and how international relations should be based on national interest, mutual trust, respect and economic connectivity.

He said he was puzzled why some in the West want to cut ties, form political blocs and prefer a new kind of Cold War.

"This is all against the interest of Europe and definitely against the interest of Hungary," he added.

Unlike some EU politicians, Balazs Orban said that Hungary does not see China as a competitor or political enemy. "We try to do everything to convince our European partners that if Europe wants to play an important role in the 21st century, we have to find a way based on mutual respect with the rest of the world, including China," said Balazs Orban, who is also a member of the National Assembly, the Hungarian parliament.