Enhancing China-Hungary Pragmatic Cooperation (Jointly Building the 'Belt and Road' • On-the-Spot Coverage)

 

 

An aerial photo of the under-construction Vác E-commerce Industrial Park smart warehouse in the Central European Trade and Logistics Cooperation Zone.
Photo by Hao Dong

 

 

In the Csepel Port Logistics Park, staff members are processing orders.
Photo by Reporter Yu Limin of People's Daily

 

 

Trucks are loading and unloading goods in the Csepel Port Logistics Park. 
Photo by Reporter Yu Limin of People's Daily

 

 

More than 20 kilometers south of Budapest, the capital of Hungary, the construction site of Taksony Station on the Hungarian section of the Hungary-Serbia Railway is bustling with activity. Chinese and Hungarian engineers are working intensively, with engineering vehicles carrying railway construction materials passing by from time to time.

The Hungary-Serbia Railway connects Budapest with Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, and is a landmark project of China-Hungary cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. Hungary is the first European country to sign a 'Belt and Road' cooperation document with China and is an important partner for China in promoting the joint construction of the Belt and Road and Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries. With the in-depth alignment between the Belt and Road Initiative and Hungary's "Opening to the East" strategy, China and Hungary have continuously deepened pragmatic cooperation in investment, infrastructure construction, finance, new energy, communication technology, and other fields, jointly fueling regional and even global economic recovery.

Hungarian Section of the Hungary-Serbia Railway—

"It will effectively promote connectivity in Central and Eastern Europe"

The Hungarian section of the Hungary-Serbia Railway Project, which is currently under construction, spans about 159 kilometers and is being carried out by a consortium formed by China Railway No. 9 Group Co., Ltd., China Railway Electrification Engineering Group Co., Ltd., and Hungarian partners. Upon completion, the journey from Budapest to Belgrade will be shortened from eight hours to about three hours, further strengthening Hungary's position as a transportation hub in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Hungary-Serbia Railway is China Railway Group Limited's first project in the European Union. According to Chen Zhongliang, Chief Engineer of the Project Division at China Railway No. 9 Group Co., Ltd., the project must comply with EU standards and adapt to Hungary's subgrade structure, construction materials, and processes. However, compared with construction technology, the greater challenge is integrating green concepts into project construction. After 10 months of preparation, he and his team compiled an Environmental Assessment Report for the Hungary-Serbia Railway Project, consisting of over 1,300 pages, and ultimately obtained the environmental permit issued by the Hungarian EIA approval department. Suspend construction during the breeding season of migratory birds in Hungary; help the eastern imperial eagle, a first-class nationally protected species in Hungary, successfully migrate; strictly abide by laws governing material transportation, noise, and vibration during construction…… Chinese enterprises have earned the recognition of local residents for their robust technical capabilities and responsible environmental protection measures.

Adam Lille-Ouxie , Chief Technical Manager for the Hungarian section of the Hungary-Serbia Railway, stated that once completed, the railway will greatly facilitate personnel and logistics exchanges between the two countries and significantly spur economic development in the regions along its route. George Batha , who serves as deputy director of the General Office in the project division of China Railway Electrification Engineering Group Co., Ltd., said that the construction of the Hungarian section of the Hungary-Serbia Railway has introduced Chinese technologies and processes, significantly boosting railway construction efficiency. "The Hungary-Serbia Railway will effectively promote connectivity in Central and Eastern Europe and help Hungary become a logistics hub in the region." "International cooperation projects like this provide great opportunities for mutual learning and bring benefits to all parties involved," Batha said.

Central European Trade and Logistics Cooperation Zone—

"Help more Chinese enterprises enter the EU market"

Containers filled with goods are neatly lined up, and newly arrived freight trucks wait to be unloaded; workers drive forklifts back and forth, loading and unloading cargo in an orderly manner... This is the warehouse of the Cepel Port Logistics Park, which is part of the Central European Trade and Logistics Cooperation Zone. The Port of Cepel, where the warehouse is located, is situated in the southern part of Budapest, near the Danube River and close to the Budapest Station of the China-Europe Railway Express, providing a clear geographical advantage.

Christopher Pateuy has been working at the Central European Trade and Logistics Cooperation Zone for nearly three years. He is currently the department director of the park, primarily responsible for business development related to Chinese enterprises. "Recently, many Chinese companies have established a presence in Hungary," he told reporters. "We hope to improve our service standards and help more Chinese enterprises enter the EU market."

The Central European Trade and Logistics Cooperation Zone was established in 2012. In addition to the logistics park at Csepel Port, it also includes the Budapest Airport Warehouse and other parks. In 2023, the Central European Trade and Logistics Cooperation Zone initiated the construction of the Vác E-commerce Industrial Park, focusing on cross-border e-commerce overseas warehousing services. The intelligent warehouse project under construction in the industrial park, with a storage area of 33,000 square meters, is scheduled to be put into operation by the end of the first quarter this year.

Currently, the park has established a new sea-land-air multi-modal China-Europe transportation corridor. According to Li Haitao, Deputy General Manager of the Central European Trade and Logistics Cooperation Zone, throughout 2024 the park will collaborate with Jiangxi Ganzhou International Inland Port and Shandong Hi-Speed Group to operate a total of 31 direct China-Europe Railway Express (CRE) trains to Budapest, transporting 1,705 containers; cooperate with China COSCO Shipping Group to implement sea-rail intermodal transportation, shipping goods by sea to the Port of Piraeus Port in Greece and other northern Mediterranean ports, then delivering them to Budapest by rail; and collaborate with Ningbo Zhoushan Port and Germany's Wilhelmshaven on the "China-Europe Express" service, which takes only 26 days - currently one of the fastest sea routes from China to Europe. Once the goods arrive at Wilhelmshaven, they are transported by rail to Budapest.

To enhance transport capacity and efficiency, the park has also launched the "China-Europe Trucking", using trucks to shuttle between Hangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou in China, and European countries such as Hungary. In 2024, the "China-Europe Trucking" safely operated 639 truck runs, transporting over 11,000 tons of goods. In addition, the park has successively opened scheduled cargo charter flights from Zhengzhou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, and other Chinese cities to Budapest. Throughout 2024, there are 595 airlines operated, with a total of 31,000 tons of goods transported.

Gaosuo Balaz is the park's Executive President and Business Development Director. When discussing the park's business, he told reporters, "We are not just investing funds or simply exchanging goods, but creating value together."

High-quality Joint Construction of the Belt and Road—

"Achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, promote cooperative development"

The high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative is a key driver for the continuous upgrading of China-Hungary cooperation, and a series of projects have brought tangible benefits to local residents.

According to statistics from the Central European Trade and Logistics Cooperation Zone, as of December 2024, the park has cumulatively completed an investment of USD 171 million, with a completed building area of 213,000 square meters, providing about 1,500 posts. After the smart warehouse at the Vác E-commerce Industrial Park is officially put into operation, an additional 200 posts will be created. At the Csepel Port Logistics Park, Krisztóf Patyi told reporters that the Logistics Park has essentially localized its workforce, employing about 400 local employees.

At present, the park is actively expanding its e-commerce logistics operations. Li Haitao told reporters that the smart warehouse project at the Vác E-Commerce Industrial Park adopts advanced robotics and unmanned warehousing technology. Once completed, it will become one of the largest and most technologically advanced smart warehousing projects in Central and Eastern Europe. In the future, the park will provide a full range of services for cross-border e-commerce between China and Hungary, and even between China and Central and Eastern Europe, including mainline transportation, overseas warehousing, customs declaration and clearance, and last-mile delivery.

High-quality agricultural products such as Hungarian beef and Tokaji wine have entered thousands of Chinese households, and new energy vehicles from China are now seen on the streets and alleys of Hungary... In recent years, pragmatic cooperation between China and Hungary has flourished. "Hungary is exploring ways to further promote industrial development, especially strengthening connectivity in transport and logistics," said Gladden Papin, president of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs. Hungary firmly supports and will continue to actively participate in the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative."

"Hungary hopes to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results through the alignment of the 'Opening to the East' strategy with the Belt and Road Initiative, so as to promote cooperation and development." Hungary's Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of National Economy Márton BÓKAY said that China-Hungary cooperation is in line with the common interests of both countries. "The smooth progress of new energy projects in Hungary by Chinese enterprises such as BYD and CATL will provide more impetus for Hungary's economic development." (Telegraph from Budapest, with the participation of Reporter Yan Huan of People's Daily)

 

 

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Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of People's Daily. The People's Daily version shall prevail.