Zhang Yu

JeniZhang13@163.com

HUNGARIAN Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Shenzhen late Wednesday night for an official visit to the city Thursday, after attending the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.

Shenzhen Party chief Meng Fanli met with the guest at the Wuzhou Guest House.

Meng welcomed the prime minister’s visit, saying Hungary is a good and old friend of China. Meng introduced Shenzhen as a city that has evolved from a border town to a modern metropolis driven by reform and opening up and innovation.

“Shenzhen and Hungary have achieved good results in trade and investment over the years. We support Shenzhen companies to develop in Hungary and welcome Hungarian firms to invest in Shenzhen,” Meng said.

Orban said he was very glad to come to Shenzhen and see a different side of China, according to a Chinese translation of his remarks.

“Hungarian entrepreneurs said that Shenzhen is a must-visit place. So here we come,” Orban said, praising Shenzhen as the most successful city in China.

Orban stated that Hungary has reaped the benefits of bilateral cooperation between the two countries. He welcomes Shenzhen citizens to travel to Hungary and Chinese businesses to develop in the country.

Before the meeting, the prime minister went to the “Great Tides Surge Along the Pearl River : 40 Years of Reform and Opening up in Guangdong” exhibition at the Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning in Futian District.

He also visited the headquarters of Shenzhen enterprises BYD and Huawei, as well as the Nanshan Cultural and Sports Center, which was designed by Hungarian architecture firm Zoboki-Demeter & Associates.

At BYD’s headquarters in Pingshan District, Orban met with BYD founder and chairman Wang Chuanfu and got firsthand glimpse into the company’s latest products and technologies. On the same day, two select BYD dealers officially opened doors in Hungary’s capital Budapest.

On Oct. 17, BYD announced its official entry into the Hungarian passenger car market, with three all-electric models, Seal, ATTO 3 and Dolphin, making their debut in Hungary, BYD’s first country of entry in the central and eastern European market.

BYD’s presence in Hungary dated back to 2005, involving various businesses including a bus factory established in 2017.

While visiting Huawei’s headquarters in Longgang District, Orban learned more about the company’s 5G solutions and got some hands-on time.

“It’s incredible!” he said.

Hungary’s government signed a memorandum of understanding with Huawei to deepen their strategic cooperation that began in 2013, Hungary’s Ministry of Economic Development said Thursday.

Huawei will participate in fostering digital technologies in Hungary and in the development of charging systems and infrastructure related to electric vehicle technology.