Source：Henan Daily Time：2019-04-08 12:53 Pageviews：479
On April 8, China(Henan)-Hungary Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum ("the Forum") was held as a theme activity of the 13th China Henan International Investment & Trade Fair (CHIITF). The Forum brought together Chinese and Hungarian government officials and enterprise representatives to chart new blueprint of bilateral cooperative development.
The year 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of China-Hungary diplomatic ties. Hungary is among the first ones that established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and also the first European country that signed the intergovernmental cooperation planning with China to push for the Belt and Road Initiative. Under the framework of the Initiative and "16 + 1 cooperation", we are witnessing ever-closer China-Hungary relations and ever-deeper bilateral cooperation. In 2017, the total China-Hungary trade volume exceeded USD 10 billion for the first time. The strong momentum persisted in 2018. Against such a backdrop, remarkable results have also been scored in China-Hungary economic and trade exchanges. In 2018, China-Hungary trade volume reached USD 23.38 million. Hungarian investors made investments in 13 Henan enterprises, involving USD 50.46 million.
In his speech, Vice Governor Liu Wei noted that, going forward, Henan will get further integrated into the Initiative to connect with the "eastward opening" policy of Hungary. He also encouraged Henan enterprises to make investment and set up business in Hungary.
At the Forum, Liu Wei analyzed the advantages of the two sides, and proposed his hope of pursuing cooperation in agriculture, auto, logistics, medicine, and cultural tourism. He said that in Hungary, pharmacy is an industry with the fastest growth and the greatest innovation strength, thus highly competitive in Central and Eastern Europe. Besides, Hungary took the lead in legislating and enacting rules for practicing Chinese medicine in Europe. Henan is a genuine powerhouse of Chinese medicine, topping the country in the numbers of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) hospital and TCM doctor. It is also a large producer of traditional Chinese medicinal materials, with annual output 1.63 million tons. He hoped that the two sides cooperate in medicine field, co-train technical personnel, strengthen R&D and cooperation in health technology, so as to enhance health care capacity.
István Joó, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, said that as "16 + 1 cooperation" accelerates, especially the deeper integration of China's Belt and Road and Hungary's "eastward opening", China-Hungary relations are facing new important opportunities. China has invested in a wide range of fields in Hungary. It is gratifying to see that after Bank of China and Huawei establishing regional centers in Hungary, Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery (Group) and other Henan enterprises have also invested in Hungary, bringing more benefits to Hungarian people.
In 2017, after purchasing Robert Bosch Starter Motors Generators Holding GmbH (SG), Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery started to participate in global market competition and global resources allocation. Meanwhile, it has made active efforts in establishing presence in Hungary, India, and other countries along the Belt and Road. Currently, its plant in Hungary is in good shape, and has created over 3,000 local jobs. “The acquisition has combined Europe's mainstream auto technology and China's huge auto market, thus enhancing the manufacturing capacity of Chinese automobile and the performance of Henan's manufacturing. Meanwhile, it also serves as a bridge for the cooperation between Hungary and Henan, and even the whole China." Xiang Jiayu, Party Secretary of Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery, said that Henan is integrating itself into world economic system in an active manner; it is important for us to take initiative in the Belt and Road development, push for the upgrade of enterprise management with a more open mind, and engage in deeper cooperation with Hungary and other countries in investment, production capacity, and market, to realize a win-win scenario with multiple parties.
István Joó noted that, besides trade in goods, Hungary is also rich in service resources, such as tourism, smart city, medical technology, and sewage treatment, based on which the two sides can explore more expansive business cooperation. "In November 2018, Hungarian Export Development Agency decided to set up an office network system for regional cooperation in Shanghai, which can reach to Zhengzhou and other cities. We hope to use the network system to advance substantive cooperation with Henan Province," said István Joó.
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