Hungary鈥檚 flowering relationship with China, on full display during Chinese President triumphant two-day visit to Budapest, is a blazing three-alarm fire. Will America conservatives respond to the call?
For many on the American right, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb谩n鈥檚 defense of traditional values against 鈥渨oke鈥� ideology absolves all other sins. We must not fall for Orb谩n鈥檚 games. Orb谩n鈥檚 devotion to deepening relations with China makes him an unreliable partner. He has China, which labors tirelessly to end American global leadership, as 鈥渁 pillar of the multipolar world.鈥� With friends like these, who needs enemies?
Feted in style, Xi was met in Hungary with red carpets, media praise and protection from pesky protestors, courtesy of his host. China and Hungary signed 16 cooperation agreements, with a focus on energy and infrastructure, while also to an 鈥渁ll-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era.鈥�
The Orb谩n-Xi romance is long-standing. During the pandemic, Hungary was the first country in the European Union to vaccination of its population using the Chinese-made Sinopharm shot. Shortly after the jab was approved, the head of the China Centers for Disease Control, in a rare moment of Chinese Communist Party candor, that it didn鈥檛 work well.
In 2015, Hungary made waves by becoming the first nation in the European Union to sign on to China鈥檚 Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The Belgrade to Budapest railway, scheduled to be completed next year, is BRI鈥檚 signature project in Europe. In 2020, Hungary the terms of the development鈥檚 Chinese loans, which fund 85 percent of the project, for a decade. The obfuscation speaks volumes.
That the rail line links Beijing鈥檚 foremost friends on the continent is no coincidence. The goal is to modernize the railway between Hungary and Serbia and connect to the Greek port of Piraeus, which is two-thirds owned by China鈥檚 state-owned COSCO shipping. This is China鈥檚 new 鈥淢aritime Silk Road,鈥� allowing Chinese goods and influence to pour into the heart of Europe.
The Hungarian government has welcomed Chinese investments and sway with open arms. Beijing is now Hungary鈥檚 largest inward investor, and the nation of under 10 million 17 flights a week to China by the middle of this year.
In December, BYD announced it had chosen Hungary as the location for a new electric vehicle assembly plant. Chinese electric vehicle are also opening plants in Hungary at breakneck pace. Hungarian authorities hope to overtake the U.S. as the second-largest producer of lithium-ion batteries, behind China of course. Last year, the Hungarian government denied leaked reports detailing Chinese plans to build hubs in Hungary for for numerous European production facilities.
Chinese firms are also playing a leading role in the buildout of Hungary鈥檚 5G telecom system. In 2020, Huawei a research center in Budapest. In 2023, the Hungarian telecom company 4iG with China鈥檚 Huawei.
At a time when many countries in Europe can鈥檛 run fast enough from Chinese-made 5G, Hungary鈥檚 embrace stands apart and is a direct repudiation of the U.S. and its security concerns. Chinese surveillance cameras and facial recognition software have likewise established a in Budapest, importantly with Hungarian law enforcement. A March paved the way for China to station its own police inside Hungary. China will certainly use this new power to target dissidents and collect intelligence inside Hungary.
Even China鈥檚 material support for Russia鈥檚 war against Ukraine was not enough to dissuade Orb谩n from hosting a state visit. The prime minister has publicly China鈥檚 peace plan for the war. The plan is a sham, but apparently Hungary isn鈥檛 in on the joke.
A generous reading is that Hungary embodies the push to inhabit a middle ground between America and China. But in a world of autocrats consolidating their power against the democratic West, this supposed third way is a mirage. European fence-sitters weaken the U.S.
We need to be honest about our China problem in Budapest. American conservatives have the standing and muscle to force a course correction in Hungary 鈥� and the time is now.