Xi Jinping Holds Bilateral State Meetings Alongside the Belt and Road Forum

April 25, 2019 (EIRNS)—Following his meeting today with the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is in Beijing to attend the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, China’s President Xi Jinping has expressed hope to bring the bilateral ties between China and Hungary to a new level. This is one of many bilateral meetings President Xi and Premier Li Keqiang are having with national heads of state and government attending the Forum.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will arrive in Beijing on April 26 and will participate in Xi Jinping’s banquet for the heads of state and government. Conte will have a bilateral meeting with Xi the next day, after the end of the BRI sessions. On April 27 he will meet with Prime Minister Li Keqiang. Meanwhile, Italian Undersecretary in the Economic Development Ministry Michele Geraci has also been in Hungary, where he discussed bilateral trade and the BRI.

In Beijing, Orbán said he had realized as early as 10 years ago that the future of Hungary largely relies on its relationship with China. He pointed out that the Belt and Road Initiative is not a threat, but an opportunity. Earlier, Orbán had met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and signed bilateral agreements on the establishment of a Hungarian-Chinese cooperation center, on continued partnerships, in sports, on the Digital Silk Road, on setting up a working group to promote free trade, and on exports of Hungarian poultry to China.