By Agence France-Presse
February 21, 2023
China’s foreign minister Wang Yi shakes hands with Hungarian foreign minister Peter Szijjarto in Budapest, Hungary on Monday. Photo: Reuters
China and Hungary are ready to cooperate with “peace-loving nations” to end the Ukraine war, Beijing’s top diplomat said on Monday.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke in Budapest amid tensions over US allegations that Beijing is considering arming Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Beijing has rejected the accusations.
China’s senior diplomat Wang Yi during a meeting at the foreign office in Budapest, Hungary on Monday. Photo: AFP
“China and Hungary are happy to work together with other peace-loving countries to end the current war as soon as possible,” Wang Yi said, according to an official translation.
“We would like the parties to return to the negotiating table,” he added, reiterating a call for support for a Chinese proposal to end the war.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said he welcomed the Chinese position, which sought to “establish peace as soon as possible”.
Wang also hailed the Hungarian government’s “China-friendly policy”, thanking Budapest for “supporting China’s legitimate positions at international and multilateral forums”.
“Although China and Hungary are geographically far apart”, their relationship is “developing extremely well”, Wang added.
On Sunday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban invited Wang to a private dinner, Hungarian news agency MTI reported.
Environmental protests erupted recently over a Chinese lithium-ion electric vehicle battery plant under construction in Hungary’s second-biggest city, Debrecen.
Orban has been keen to woo foreign manufacturers and promote the country as a global hub for EV batteries.
Wang, who has visited several European capitals in recent days and attended the Munich Security Conference, is headed to Moscow next.
Source: scmp.com