Budapest, May 8 (Xinhua) — On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Hungary, Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Hungary, marking President Xi's first visit to the country as China's head of state.

On May 7 local time, Hungarian Member of the European Parliament and Vice-Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism Ujhelyi István gave an exclusive interview to China News Service reporters, offering analysis and interpretation of Xi Jinping's visit to Hungary, the development of Hungary-China relations, and the Belt and Road Initiative.

Over the past 25 years, Ujhelyi István has visited China many times and has been committed to promoting Europe-China people-to-people and cultural exchanges. In 2016, he took part in launching the Europe-China "Belt and Road" Culture and Tourism Development Committee in Brussels, where the EU headquarters is located.

Ujhelyi István said that with global tensions currently spreading, the EU and China must do their utmost to cooperate. President Xi Jinping's visit to Europe at this time can be described as a "historic moment," and as a Hungarian, he is "deeply proud" to see Hungary included as one stop on the visit.

In his observation, over the past nearly 20 years, relations between Hungary and China have been substantially strengthened and developed. "Hungary has opened its door to modern China," and this development path has never been interrupted, including the current Hungarian government, which is carrying it forward. As an EU member state, Hungary, he believes, will become an important gateway for China to the EU and a bridge connecting the EU and China.

As a European country that has signed a Belt and Road cooperation document with China, Hungary has closely aligned the Belt and Road Initiative with its "Eastern Opening" strategy, promoting the continuous upgrading of Hungary-China cooperation in economy and trade, investment, finance and other fields. In this regard, Ujhelyi István said that the Belt and Road Initiative is not for confrontation but for win-win outcomes, and he agrees with China's position. It is precisely because of the importance of the Belt and Road Initiative that he took part in launching the Europe-China "Belt and Road" Culture and Tourism Development Committee, working within the framework of people-to-people and cultural exchanges to promote Europe-China cooperation in education, tourism, culture and other fields.

Ujhelyi István leads by example. He has not only visited China many times but also served as chairman of the board of the Confucius Institute at the University of Szeged in Hungary. Last December, BYD announced that it would build a production base for new energy passenger vehicles in Szeged, bringing a major investment to this city in southeastern Hungary.

Ujhelyi István said that there are now more than 10,000 young people in Szeged learning Chinese, and his own son is also learning Chinese and even studied in Shanghai for a period of time. He joked that "perhaps BYD's decision to build a factory in Szeged touched him." Looking further ahead, he believes that as young people in Hungary and China better understand each other's cultures and aspirations, cooperation between the two countries will become smoother.

Looking to the future, Ujhelyi István said that the steady development of Hungary-China relations will benefit both sides, and that subsequent cooperation can be made more open and transparent and better communicated to the public. For politicians, he believes the mission should be to "strive to find a balance point that satisfies both sides," thereby bringing peace and prosperity to the people.