STORY: Budapest event marks 75 years of Hungary-China diplomatic relations
SHOOTING TIME: Oct. 24, 2024
DATELINE: Oct. 26, 2024
LENGTH: 0:02:02
LOCATION: Budapest
CATEGORY: POLITICS/ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the event
2. SOUNDBITE (English): LEVENTE MAGYAR, Hungary's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
3. various of Chinese Ambassador to Hungary Gong Tao
4. various of performances

STORYLINE:

Hungary's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Levente Magyar stressed his country's commitment to strengthening ties with China during an event on Thursday celebrating the 75th anniversary of Hungary-China diplomatic relations.

Magyar highlighted Hungary's "Eastern Opening" policy, initiated over a decade ago to deepen economic and diplomatic ties with Eastern countries, particularly China.

SOUNDBITE (English): LEVENTE MAGYAR, Hungary's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
"Hungary has decided not to miss the opportunity of partnership with China and therefore launched a comprehensive set of developments that were aimed to give a solid footing to this new policy in terms of business partnership, in terms of cultural ties, in terms of infrastructure development within the Belt and Road Initiative.
Today, China is one of the largest investors in Hungary.
This also means that much of the working capital from China that is directed towards Europe ends up in Hungary and becomes part of our economy here. And that upgrades Hungary's role within the European Union because we are talking about strategic investments, for example in the battery industry and the related industries that make Hungary a meeting point of Western and Eastern economic interests, and companies and economic actors.
I think that is extremely important because it gives a geopolitical relevance to what we are doing. So it's not just China and Hungary benefiting from this partnership, but it has a wider positive effect on our economic competitiveness and thereby on our wider economic environment. We are proud of these achievements, and we are determined to continue this course."

Commending China-Hungary ties as a model for international relations, Chinese Ambassador to Hungary Gong Tao emphasized China's willingness to work with Hungary to enhance the well-being of the two peoples and promote world peace and development.

The celebration included cultural performances, featuring piano, guitar, and guzheng recitals, as well as Hungarian folk dances.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Budapest.
(XHTV)