Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said in Beijing on Wednesday that attempts to sever ties between the interdependent Eastern and Western economies are putting the jobs of millions at risk.
Speaking at an international forum of the Belt and Road initiative, Minister Szijjártó said one of the most important morals of the crises of past years had been that cooperation was a more successful way to handle challenges than an approach based on animosity. He called for reviving “mutual respect” and against creating blocks in world politics and economy, saying Hungary and central Europe “have always lost out” on the latter. The joint interest would be in connectivity, he said. Eastern and Western economies are interdependent, and those who deny this probably based their stance on ideology rather than facts, he said. Attempts to sever eastern and western economies are “extremely dangerous” and putting millions of jobs at risk, he said, citing Hungary’s efforts to become a meeting point of the two economies. The country is set to house manufacturing plants of all three German carmaking giants, and five of the ten largest battery manufacturers. That makes Hungary essential to Europe’s changing car market and guarantees economic growth, he said. If the world was divided into blocks again, “that would lead to global disaster”. At the same time, if connectivity and mutual respect are fostered, “then I am sure that a more peaceful, prosperous era is coming, and I think China’s role is of critical importance,” he said.