6 November 2018, Shanghai (上海)

Allow me to welcome you all. I can satisfy the request asked of me with the following single sentence: “I hereby open this pavilion!”

The truth is that now we are in an unusual place, because you can hear the distracting clamour of the fair; and so I think it best if we take the agreements which Hungarian businesses have negotiated, and make them irrevocable as soon as possible. Before that, however, on the theme of Chinese-Hungarian cultural history I would like to briefly remind those who are not disappearing with us – who are not leaving Shanghai today, but are staying for a while – to give the following their serious consideration: if there is any sense in the term “the most Hungarian city in China”, then Shanghai deserves that description. Look at the buildings designed by an architect born in Besztercebánya, our compatriot László Hudec. There were once more than a hundred of them in this city, and many of them are still standing today. If you think that your national pride needs refreshing a little, then the best thing you could do would be to visit these buildings. I would also like to stress that he was not the only Hungarian here in this city. In World War I many Hungarians were captured as prisoners of war, and most of these were taken to Siberia. The braver ones among them escaped, and their destination was China. Many of our Hungarian compatriots who later became scientists, artists or purely adventurers arrived here in Shanghai, and therefore the results of their work can be seen in the cultural imprint and spirit of this city.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Péter Szijjártó has already said everything that is important about relations between the two countries. We have come a long way: the distance has been enormous – not only in terms of time, but also in terms of space. I think that we Hungarians – and particularly those representing companies here and whose work has contributed to today’s results – can be proud of our political and economic achievement, and of having successfully bridged the enormous distance between us, which means that Hungarian businesses can find profitable opportunities here in China.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As regards the future, all I would like to say is that yesterday I had talks with the President of the People’s Republic of China, and we agreed – naturally, taking due account of the difference in size between our two countries – that together we will build a future which makes room for Hungarian businesses in China.

I hereby open this pavilion. I wish you all every success!

(miniszterelnok.hu)