Following the meeting of the Chinese-Hungarian Joint Economic Committee in Beijing, State Secretary for External Economic Relations and the Committee's Co-chair Péter Szijjártó stressed that cooperation on agriculture and tourism has strengthened between the two countries.

He said that under an agreement to be signed on Wednesday, Hungary will become a regional tourism hub for cooperation between China and Central and Eastern Europe.

He also highlighted that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Hungary continues to grow year by year.

Regarding relations with Chinese enterprises, Péter Szijjártó noted that negotiations on a strategic cooperation agreement between the Hungarian Government and Wanhua are in their final stages and a new citric acid plant will move to Hungary under a declaration of intent to be signed soon. The strategic agreement between the Government and Huawei will also be upgraded.

The four largest Chinese companies operating in Hungary employ about 6,000 people combined, but this number may rise by several hundred once agreements on new investments are signed, Péter Szijjártó said.

The Hungarian delegation visiting China, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, includes Minister for National Economy Mihály Varga, Minister of Human Resources Zoltán Balog, Governor of the National Bank of Hungary György Matolcsy and several businesspeople.

The Hungarian Prime Minister is scheduled to meet the head of Bank of China and address an economic forum at the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) headquarters. He will also meet with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang and sign several bilateral agreements.

On Thursday, Viktor Orbán will address the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and visit the Hungarian Cultural Institute in Beijing. He will meet Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China, and Zhang Dejiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

(Prime Minister’s Office)