photographed by Zhu Gaolei

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Mihály Orbán making a speech at CASS

 

At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Mihály Orbán made an official visit to China on February 11-13 to mark the 65th anniversary of Chinese-Hungarian diplomatic ties.

 

On the morning of February 13, Orbán visited and spoke at CASS. Wang Weiguang, president of CASS, also attended and spoke at the meeting.

 

Extending a warm welcome to Orbán, Wang Weiguang praised Hungary's cultural and scientific achievements. Calling Hungary "a nation of inventors" because of its twelve Nobel laureates and numerous prominent scientists and social scientists, Wang also added that the works of the great Hungarian poet Sándor Petofi and musician Franz Liszt, well-known throughout the world, are particularly appreciated by the Chinese people.

 

Wang observed that the two countries share a time-honored cooperative relationship, and that Hungary was among the first countries to acknowledge the independence of the People's Republic of China. Since establishing diplomatic ties in October, 1949, their friendly communication has withstood the test of time and changes in the international situation. Especially since 2004, the China and Hungary's cooperative partnership has reached new heights and entered a stage of rapid progress, underlined by the frequent visits between each country's leaders, Wang said.

 

Cooperation of Chinese and Hungarian academia is a crucial part of the people-to-people contact between the two countries, Wang continued. Affirming that CASS is one of China's key think tanks for research in the social sciences and humanities, he iterated that CASS has maintained communication with Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAC) and other Hungarian academic institutes and universities through various channels. This ongoing interaction has promoted mutual understanding between Chinese and Hungarian scholars and fostered their cooperation in all academic fields, he concluded.

 

Orbán expressed that the intention of his and his delegation's visit to China was to elevate Chinese-Hungarian relations to a new high. 

 

Calling the Western financial crisis more than an economic crisis, Orbán said the past few years have marked a shift in the distribution of world powers. Still, Orbán noted that a state of crisis can be a disaster or an opportunity. Since the most recent election in 2010, Hungary's leadership has taken new measures and sought novel solutions, keeping an innovative and open mindset, he said. It has aimed to recapture confidence in achieving balanced development. In 2013, Hungary's GDP growth rate exceeded the EU average, while the employment rate set a new record. These trends give Hungary hope in the new reforms, he said.  

 

Citing both Germany and the U.S. large-scale investments in Hungary, Orbán expressed his hope that China will also contribute to the development of Hungary and Central and Eastern Europe. In particular, he noted that China could play a crucial role in building infrastructure.

 

At the conclusion of his speech, Orbán stressed his optimism toward China and Hungary's cooperative relationship in the future.

 

In a question and answer following his speech, Orbán responded to questions on the Hungarian-Serbian railway upgrade and the Chinese- Hungarian currency swap agreement.

 

Officials and representatives from both the Hungarian and Chinese governments, research institutes, universities and the foreign diplomatic corps attended the ceremony. CASS and HAC signed a memorandum at the Great Hall of People the day before this event.

 

The Chinese version appeared in Chinese Social Today, No. 559, February 14, 2014

 

Translated by Bai Le

Revised by Charles Horne

 

Chinese link:

http://www.cssn.cn/skyskl/201402/t20140214_963867.shtml