Hungary: China has promised to deepen security cooperation with Hungary, emphasising Budapest’s warming associations with Beijing just as Hungarian officials slighted a visiting panel from Washington. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with China’s Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong.
According to reports, Wang expressed his desire to enhance cooperation in several areas such as counter-terrorism, combating transnational crimes, and security and law enforcement capacity building under the Belt and Road Initiative. The Chinese minister aims to prioritize law enforcement and security cooperation to strengthen bilateral relations.
Budapest, which has closer ties to Moscow than any other EU member, is developing a relationship with Beijing. Last year, Orban was the only EU leader to attend the Belt and Road Initiative forum in Beijing. Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD has announced that it will open its first European production plant in Hungary.
In a statement regarding his meeting with Wang, a representative for Orban stated that, “Respect is increasingly missing from international diplomacy, but it has always remained between Hungary and China. The negotiating parties drew attention to the importance of security and stability.”
The possibility of increased security cooperation between Budapest and Beijing comes at a time when Hungary’s relations with its European Union and NATO allies are strained. Over the years, Hungary’s reputation in Western capitals has deteriorated. Budapest’s decision to break its promise not to be the last to accept Sweden’s NATO bid further eroded trust.
Budapest’s isolation was on display at the Munich Security Conference at the weekend, which was not attended by senior Hungarian officials. During a speech in Hungary, Orban announced that, “we are on course to ratify Sweden’s accession to Nato at the beginning of parliament’s spring session.”
“Allies have been awaiting Hungary’s action on Sweden’s accession to Nato for 21 months,” the US Ambassador in Budapest, David Pressman, posted on social media.
Pressman stated that, “Regrettably, a range of senior Hungarian government officials and Fidesz parliamentary representatives declined to meet with the most senior US bipartisan congressional delegation to visit Hungary in years.”
In his weekend speech, Orban, who is facing domestic political pressure and protests amid a scandal that led to the resignation of the country’s president, made his priorities clear. “We cannot interfere in other countries’ elections, but we would very much like to see President Donald Trump return to the White House and make peace here in the eastern half of Europe,” he added.
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