Orbán, Chinese counterpart hold talks in Beijing, sign 10 pacts

Beijing is hosting the third Belt and Road Forum which has brought together representatives from 130 countries including 20 heads of state and government, he said.

Hungary was pleased to accept after 2017 and 2019 an invitation again to this year’s summit by China, an important economic partner, Orban said, noting that this year Chinese investors form the largest group of foreign investors in Hungary.

The prime minister said that after meeting Li Qiang, he held talks with the CEOs of China’s two biggest banks.

Speaking about global politics, Orban said that “the world has arrived at a crossroads, and the big question now is whether there will be war or peace, isolation or cooperation”. Isolation is something Hungarians know very well, and they know what it comes with: poverty and a lasting threat of war, he said

“The alternative we seek is to expand our economic ties both with the West and East,” Orban said. “I’m convinced that this is the only way for Hungary to preserve its competitiveness and security. This is why we are in China now and this is what we are going to address at our talks in the next days.”