Viktor Orban attracted criticism with his visit to Moscow. Now he unexpectedly appears in China on his “peace mission”.
On his tour of countries staged as a “peace mission”, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban made a surprise visit to China. Chinese state media reported on the arrival of the Hungarian head of government in Beijing this morning (local time). “Peace mission 3.0 #Beijing,” Orban wrote on the social network X. There he also published a photo showing him being greeted by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Hua Chunying at the airport. He had previously traveled to Moscow and Kiev.
Meeting with Xi
According to China’s official news agency Xinhua, Orban met with head of state and party leader Xi Jinping in Beijing. At the top of the agenda was Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Orban wrote on X that China was a “key power” in creating conditions for peace in the war. Xi praised Orban’s efforts to promote a peace solution. He also called on the major powers in the international community to bring positive energy to bring about a ceasefire in the conflict as quickly as possible.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto is also attending, as he announced on Facebook. Szijjarto was originally supposed to meet with Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) in Budapest. However, the visit was cancelled at short notice. The Hungarian Foreign Ministry justified this with an “unforeseen change in Szijjarto’s schedule”.
The Foreign Office said at the weekend: “A serious and honest personal conversation between the two foreign ministers would have been very important in view of Prime Minister Orban’s surprise and uncoordinated trip to Moscow.” The trip is to be rescheduled. Hungary took over the presidency of the EU Council on July 1.
The role of China
China is Russia’s most important ally. The People’s Republic maintains close economic and political relations with Moscow. Beijing is therefore considered to have a great deal of influence over Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The country likes to present itself as neutral to the outside world. However, Western countries repeatedly accuse China of supporting Moscow’s defense industry and thus the war by exporting important technology and equipment.
At the recent peace conference on the Ukraine war in Switzerland, Beijing cancelled its participation. The necessary conditions for China’s participation were not met, it was said. The main reason for the cancellation was suspected to be that Russia was not present.
During the conversation with Orban, Xi stressed that China had promoted peace talks on its own and supported all efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. In May, Beijing proposed a plan together with Brazil that included a peace conference recognized by Ukraine and Russia and the discussion of all plans. However, this would also include Moscow’s proposals, which would mean capitulation for Kiev.
Visit to Moscow – Next stop Washington
On Friday, Orban was received by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his controversial visit to Moscow. Orban also staged the meeting with Putin, whose country has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine for more than two years, as a “peace mission.” Many top EU politicians criticized the trip. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made it clear that she sees Orban’s solo action as a threat to the EU’s credibility. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) made it clear that Orban was traveling to Putin as Prime Minister of Hungary and not as a foreign policy representative of the EU.
After Beijing, Orban is now heading to Washington, he announced. The NATO summit, which includes Hungary, begins in the US capital on Tuesday. There was speculation as to whether Orban could also meet presidential candidate Donald Trump there. In response to a question, Orban’s head of the Chancellery, Gergely Gulyas, simply said that it was worth meeting those who represented the cause of peace and promoted it. Orban visited Trump in March at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida and called him the “President of Peace.”
Good relations between China and Hungary
Xi also visited Hungary in May on a trip to Europe. Budapest and Beijing have had good relations for a long time. In October, Orban was one of the few European representatives and the only EU head of government to take part in China’s forum on the “New Silk Road”. Hungary is also part of the Chinese investment project with which the People’s Republic is implementing infrastructure projects worldwide and thus expanding its influence.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
