Interview: Hungary's BRI cooperation with China opens up prospects: former PM

Former Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Budapest, Hungary, June 5, 2019. (Xinhua/Attila Volgyi)

Currently, Hungary and China engage in comprehensive strategic cooperation, and the future looks bright, former Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy has said.

BUDAPEST, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is "a fantastic initiative that opens up good prospects" for cooperation with China, former Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy has said.

This has many facets, including cultural and research cooperation, but a very important aspect is economic cooperation, Medgyessy told Xinhua during a recent interview, adding that as cooperation with China moves forward, it helps "achieve all that we have envisioned."

In projects including the Belgrade-Budapest railway line, "I see a lot of opportunities," he said, stressing that connectivity and regional integration into the commercial networks and the system of trade relations are very valuable.

Currently, Hungary and China engage in comprehensive strategic cooperation, and the future looks bright, he said.

Medgyessy said the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school project, which was launched during his term in office, has helped an increasing number of Hungarian students travel to China and learn about Chinese culture.

Such exchanges provide opportunities for people of the two countries to get to know each other and learn about each other's culture, which "far exceeds traditional economic, cooperative and other types of relations," he said.

In a world full of regional conflicts, it is very important for major countries to think about how to cooperate, find common solutions, and extend globalization, he said.