Historian: The Hungarian people won’t learn Chinese, just like they didn’t learn Russian – Hungary belongs to Europe
Even if Hungary were to leave the European Union or NATO in the coming years, the Hungarian people’s European identity would remain intact because its roots go far deeper than any political decision, historian Ignác Romsics stated on Magyar Hang’s program Kompország.
Romsics explained in Kompország that while a political decision could be made to withdraw from Western organisations, such a move would undoubtedly trigger alarm bells in people’s minds. The decision to join NATO and the European Union was legitimised through a referendum. According to Romsics, if Hungary were to consider turning its back on these institutions, the public would have to be consulted again.
“I am convinced that in such a scenario, the majority of Hungarians would choose Western and Central Europe over China and Russia, as that is where we have always belonged in spirit,”
he added.
He further noted that Hungary has always been a part of Europe, even during the 150 years of Ottoman rule and throughout the Kádár era. Despite compulsory Russian language education, people disliked it; they would have preferred to learn English or German. Hungarian youth did not gravitate toward Soviet films, but rather American ones. They wore jeans, drank Coca-Cola, and their behaviour reflected a Western orientation, not a Russian one.
Romsics also expressed doubt that the Hungarian people would embrace learning Chinese, despite the government’s growing ties with Beijing. While economic cooperation with China is possible, it poses challenges. Currently, over 70% of Hungary’s export-import activity is with the West. In contrast, only 1.3% of Hungary’s exports go to China, and 7% of imports come from there. In fact, Hungary’s entire trade with Asia accounts for less than 20% of its total foreign trade, he pointed out.
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