Although the name Orient Express still evokes the famed adventures across the European continent created by world-renowned British detective fiction writer Agatha Christie, people today generally desire swifter and more efficient travel options. This is especially true in Hungary and neighboring Serbia, where rail travel between their respective capitals, Budapest and Belgrade, still takes almost eight hours.
The original monorail linking Belgrade and Budapest dates back to 1883, when the Orient Express traveled between Paris and what is now known as Istanbul in Türkiye at an average speed of about 40 km per hour. The speed on the entire line remained at that level before a revamp of a section in Serbia was launched in 2017.
However, trips in the region may soon become less exhausting with the completion of the line’s upgrading to an electric railway, which, once fully operational, will shorten the journey between the two capitals to three hours.
The 350-km railway is one of the flagship projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a China-proposed initiative to boost connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes, which has delivered tangible benefits to Europe and beyond.
France, Serbia and Hungary were three destinations of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent state visits from May 5 to 10. Each of these European countries shares a profound friendship with China and has witnessed fruitful cooperation in recent years.
Keeping momentum
Xi landed in Paris on May 5 for his third state visit to France, and also his first trip to Europe in nearly five years.
This year celebrates the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-French diplomatic ties—with France being the first major Western country to formalize relations with China in 1964.
In the 60 years since, bilateral relations have always stayed abreast of China’s relations with Western countries, setting a prime example for countries with different social systems to coexist in peace and pursue win-win cooperation, Xi said in a written speech upon his arrival.
France is also the first among major Western countries to form a comprehensive strategic partnership with China, to strike a deal with China for air transportation and to cooperate with China on civil nuclear energy projects.
In recent years, the relationship between the two representatives of Eastern and Western civilizations has risen to new heights, and they keep making new progress in cooperation on aviation, aerospace, nuclear energy, agrifood and green development, Xi elaborated in his written speech.
Bilateral trade has surged dramatically, increasing 800-fold to reach $78.9 billion in 2023. China is now France’s largest trading partner in Asia, while France ranks as China’s third largest trading partner and third largest source of investment in real terms within the European Union (EU).
The two countries should stay committed to the spirit that guided the establishment of their diplomatic ties, namely, independence, mutual understanding, long-term vision and mutual benefit, and enrich it with new features of the new era, Xi said during talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on May 6.
As the world goes through transformation and turbulence not seen in a century, China and France should uphold independence and jointly prevent a “new Cold War” or bloc confrontation, Xi added.
China and France should uphold the international order and jointly advocate genuine multilateralism, Du Zhanyuan, President of China International Communications Group (CICG), said at the Second China-France Forum on Global Governance, cohosted by the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies under CICG and the China-Europe-America Global Initiative, in Paris on May 2.
Du said the two countries should be pioneers in global development that provide new driving forces for world economic recovery; leaders in global governance and the joint endeavor to build a better world to live in; and practitioners of exchange and mutual learning. Together, they can help to build a harmonious world, he added.
Former French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius said at the forum that as firm supporters of multilateralism, France and China must continue to be committed to the multilateralist framework. They share similar visions in global governance and look forward to finding solutions, maintaining international order and improving global governance through multilateral cooperation, according to him.
At the forum, Wu Hailong, President of the China Public Diplomacy Association, emphasized China’s contribution to global governance and called on China and France to always uphold the spirit of unity and cooperation, actively eliminate the interference of geopolitics and ideology, jointly practice multilateralism, and give full play to the responsibility and influence of major countries in global governance.
Ironclad friendship
In Serbia, the 80-km Belgrade-Novi Sad section of the Belgrade-Budapest railway began operating on March 19, 2022, and has since facilitated the movement of people and even generated a new commuter lifestyle. So far, this railway section has served roughly 6.83 million passengers.
The two countries should make sure the entire Serbian section of the Belgrade-Budapest railway goes into operation as scheduled amid steadily advancing cooperation in traditional areas such as transportation and energy infrastructure, Xi said when meeting his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vučić in the Serbian capital on May 8. He also underlined the importance of jointly operating well major cooperation projects and creating more small and beautiful livelihood projects.
During the meeting, Xi said the two sides should deepen and expand high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, as well as the cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs), by building a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era, thereby advancing the modernization of their respective nations.
Vučić said China is Serbia’s most sincere friend. Although Serbia is a small country, China always fully respects its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and provides valuable support for its economic and social development, he said.
After the talks, the two presidents signed the Joint Statement on Deepening and Elevating the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and Building a China-Serbia Community With a Shared Future in the New Era.
In October 2023, the two countries signed a free trade agreement (FTA), the first of its kind between China and the CEECs, set to take effect on July 1.
Serbian Ambassador to China Maja Stefanovic told People’s Daily newspaper that the FTA will inject strong impetus into the further expansion of economic and trade cooperation between the two partners, and more high-quality products will have opportunities to expand their markets in each other’s countries.
In the past, “we have witnessed much cooperation in the fields of transportation and energy,” Katarina Zakić, head of the Regional Center for Belt and Road at the Institute of International Politics and Economics, told Xinhua New Agency. Collaboration will be equally important in the fields of green energy and e-commerce in the future, she added.
Chinese companies and their Serbian counterparts are working on several green energy programs, such as the Saraorci Photovoltaic Project, the first ground-based photovoltaic project constructed by a Chinese company in Serbia, which, upon completion, will provide more than 16 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity every year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 16,000 tons.
A new model of interaction
Xi’s visit to Hungary came amid the 75th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties.
Hungary was one of the first countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China in 1949, as well as the first European country to sign a Belt and Road cooperation agreement with China. The country has been a distribution center for China-Europe freight trains and a crucial link in the logistics and transport corridor between China and the European continent over the past decade.
“In recent years, our two sides have seen frequent high-level exchange, deepening mutual trust, fruitful outcomes in Belt and Road cooperation, vibrant people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and close coordination and collaboration in international and regional affairs,” Xi said in a written speech upon his arrival.
In 2023, Hungary attracted 13 billion euros ($13.86 billion) in foreign direct investment, of which about 8 billion euros ($8.53 billion) came from Chinese investments, according to Hungarian Minister for National Economy Márton Nagy.
China’s leading battery manufacturers Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) and EVE Energy, as well as electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD, have been working on production facility plans in Hungary.
The investment that came along with the rise of China’s EV industry has been an opportunity, Nagy said, adding that by giving space to Chinese companies, Hungary has become a hub for electric car and battery manufacturing.
The China-Hungary relationship is now at its best in history, Xi said when meeting with Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok at the Sandor Palace in Budapest on May 9, adding that the traditional friendship has deeply taken root in the hearts of the people and cooperation in multiple fields has yielded fruitful outcomes.
Xi and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced the decision to elevate bilateral relations from their comprehensive strategic partnership established in 2017 to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era during their talks on May 9.
Elaborating on the decision during a joint press conference with Orbán, Xi said he and Orbán agreed that the two countries have always been good friends that trust and support each other as well as good partners that seek win-win cooperation over the years. It is natural for them to further upgrade relations and enrich bilateral cooperation, he added.
During their talks, Xi pointed out, with deepening political mutual trust and fruitful cooperation in various fields, China and Hungary have set a model for building a new type of international relations.
He said China will jointly forge greater synergy in development strategies with Hungary, as well as promote and expand bilateral cooperation in fields including infrastructure, green energy and artificial intelligence.
China’s development is an opportunity rather than a risk for Europe, and Hungary is willing to strengthen multilateral communication and cooperation with China to jointly safeguard world peace and stability, Orbán said.
Healthy China-EU ties
During a trilateral meeting at the Elysée Palace in Paris on May 6 with Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Xi underscored the importance of bolstering cooperative ties between China and France as well as the EU, calling for dialogue and understanding amid escalating protectionism and raging conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
Former Deputy Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Yi Xiaozhun said at the May 2 forum that since China’s accession to the WTO in 2001, China and the EU have always maintained close cooperation within the multilateral trading system and jointly led the multilateral negotiations in the WTO.
The two sides should continue to jointly send out a strong signal that China and the EU defend the multilateral trading system and oppose unilateralism or trade protectionism, he added.
All countries should abandon the zero-sum Cold War mentality, adhere to multilateralism, conform to the historical trend of openness and cooperation, and promote a global economic and trade governance system featuring joint governance, sharing and win-win results by strengthening multilateral cooperation, Yi concluded. –The Daily Mail-People’s Daily news exchange item
