China will participate in major infrastructure projects in Hungary, including the construction of a railway ring around Budapest and a high-speed railway from the city center to Liszt Ferenc International Airport. This was announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations of Hungary, Peter Szijjártó, after negotiations between the country's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The countries signed 18 documents on cooperation in various fields, including in the field of investments. The foreign minister noted that within the framework of China's "One Belt One Road" initiative aimed at developing East-West relations, Hungary and China have drawn up a list of projects for joint financing. Among them is “the construction of a railway ring surrounding Budapest”, explained Szijjártó. According to him, this should facilitate the delivery of products from factories built with Chinese participation in Eastern Hungary to Western European countries.
„We are also starting preparations for the construction of a high-speed railway line, which will allow a quick and convenient journey from the airport to the center of Budapest,”, the minister said. He recalled that direct flights already connect Budapest with seven Chinese cities and this will help increase the tourist flow from China.
In addition, Chinese investors will participate in the creation of a network of charging stations for electric vehicles in Hungary and the modernization of the border and customs post on the border with Serbia. They will also explore the possibility of joining the project to build an oil pipeline between Hungary and Serbia. With the help of capital investment from China, the construction of a high-speed railway line between Budapest and Belgrade has begun in recent years. Chinese investments in the Hungarian economy already exceed EUR 16 billion.