FM Szijjártó: von der Leyen caused serious damage to the European economy, praised China
The tariff deal between the European Union and the United States reached on the weekend provided further evidence that an urgent leadership change in Brussels is needed, as the deal could have happened earlier, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in a post on social media on Monday.
Szijjártó: another serious blow
“The von der Leyen-led Commission has caused serious damage to the European economy in recent years, compounded by its struggles in tariff matters,” Szijjártó said.
“The European Commission should have reduced the four-fold tariffs on the United States in January, and then another serious blow to the European economy could have been avoided,” he added.
Hungary’s gaining handsomely from economic ties with China
Hungary is gaining handsomely from economic ties with China which serve as a prime example of civilised cooperation between Eastern and Western companies, Szijjártó said on Sunday.
Hungary is in a constant competition with western European countries for Chinese investments, Szijjártó said at the Budapest reception of the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress.
“So far we have proven adept in this fight,” he said, mentioning that one third of Chinese investments in Europe were made in Hungary last year, while four of the five largest Chinese corporate investments in Europe were under way here.
The projects helped Hungary to stay at the cutting edge of the world technological revolution, he added.
Chinese investments, he said, had added thousands of new jobs in recent years, were in the technological vanguard, and contributed to one export record after another.
Also, no other central European city, including Vienna, “has so many air connections with major Chinese cities”, Szijjártó said, noting that 21 flights connect Budapest to big Chinese cities each week.
Hopefully business around the world would be carried out in a calm and fair way in the future, and the world would not again fall into blocs, the minister said.
Read also:
- Hungary beats the West: China pours billions into Budapest as air links and jobs soar
- Living in Budapest – Between East and West: A cross-cultural life in the Hungarian capital
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