Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met on July 8 with President Xi Jinping in Beijing. This was his third “surprise visit”—Kyiv, Moscow, Beijing— on his mission to create the basis for peace in Ukraine. Upon arriving in Beijing, Orbán wrote on X that “China is a key power in creating the conditions for peace in the Russia-Ukraine war. This is why I came to meet with President Xi in Beijing, just two months after his official visit to Budapest.” In his comments, President Xi referred to his celebrated visit to Hungary two months ago, praising the level of the relationship between the two countries. He also congratulated Prime Minister Orbán on his role as rotating president of the European Union. Xi underlined the importance of China’s relationship to the EU, and hoped that this relationship would be improved under Orbán’s leadership.
He lauded Prime Minister Orbán for his efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine. Orbán said that Hungary highly appreciates China’s proposals for peace in the region and wished to maintain close strategic communication and cooperation with China on the matter. He said that Hungary advocates strengthening cooperation with China, opposes “small circles” and confrontation between “camps,” and will actively promote the healthy development of EU-China relations.
