“Hungary and Hong Kong represent the two ends of China’s concept of the modern Silk Road”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in a telephone statement to Hungarian news agency MTI from Hong Kong on Thursday.
Mr. Szijjártó held talks with Minister of Finance John Tsang, Development Minister Paul Chan and Deputy Minister of Trade and Economic Development Philip Yung; the main topics of discussion centred on economic issues.
In the statement, the Hungarian Foreign Minister stressed that current cooperation can be tightened considerably. Enterprises from Hong Kong are achieving increasing success on the European markets, and accordingly they are searching for production opportunities, manufacturers and production sites.
By creating Europe’s most competitive investment environment with the lowest personal and corporation tax levels within the European Union, Hungary occupies an extremely prominent place on the “radar screens” of Hong Kong enterprises, he emphasised.
In the interests of assuring that Hong Kong investments in Hungary involve no legal risks, negotiations have begun on the signing of an investment protection agreement, “which we would like to finalise and conclude as soon as possible in the interests of increasing mutual investor confidence”, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade highlighted.
Mr. Szijjártó also spoke about the fact that Hong Kong is a major food industry importer with continuously increasing demand for Hungarian foods and wines that represent premium quality. In the interests of further expansion we have successfully concluded all issues at the current talks and thanks to the new export licences for Hungarian beef, the export of Hungarian beef to Hong Kong can now commence. Agreements were also reached on the issuing of import licences for Hungarian lamb and rabbit, thanks to which the export of these food products can now also begin, he told the press.
Mr. Szijjártó and Minister of Labour Matthew Cheung Kin-Chung also signed a Working Holiday Scheme treaty according to which 200 young people aged between 18 and 30 will receive one-year work permits in each other’s countries. The scheme is aimed at helping young people acquire working and training experience.
The Foreign Minister also said that during the course of his negotiations he had negotiated about the possible launching of a direct passenger flight in the interests of increasing tourism, for which further talks are required.
On Thursday, Mr. Szijjártó visited one of Hong Kong’s most famous schools, the Marymount Secondary School, whose chorus has been to Hungary twice recently and won prestigious choral competitions. Within the field of music, the institution actively cultivates the memory and heritage of Béla Bartók. To mark the Hungarian Foreign Minister’s visit, a classroom was named after the Hungarian composer, after which Mr. Szijjártó opened a related exhibition and unveiled a commemorative plaque.
(MTI)
