The most important issue of the 21st century is the transformation of the world order from a unipolar to a multipolar world order — where China and the European Union will play a leading role alongside several other poles. To develop genuine cooperation between the two parties, it is important to get to know each other’s cultures, traditions, and ways of thinking. Only in this way will it be possible to forge mutually beneficial cooperation based on mutual respect and understanding and avoid bloc formation based on misperceptions.

While the leaders of the European Union are increasingly pushing for ideologically motivated decoupling, which is not in the EU’s interests, and misinterpreting China’s goals, EU member states are increasingly engaging in closer economic cooperation with China. For example, Germany’s trade with China was worth 253.1 billion euros ($270.6 billion) in 2023, making China Germany’s most important trading partner for the eighth year running.

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The EU and China are major trading partners. In 2022, bilateral trade in goods increased by 23 percent year-on-year to a record 857 billion euros. EU exports to China rose by 3.1 percent to 230 billion euros, while EU imports from China increased by 32 percent to 626 billion euros. In 2022, China was the third-largest partner for EU exports of goods (about 9 percent), and the largest partner for EU imports of goods (about 20.8 percent).

Germany’s chancellor visited Beijing last month with a large business delegation, and the Spanish, Belgian, and Dutch prime ministers have also made recent trips to China. French President Emmanuel Macron visited China last year and several European heads of state are planning official visits to China this year, including from Italy.

Interestingly, however, these member states remain critical of China at the communication level while seeking serious cooperation in the background. Hungary stands out among the EU member states in this respect as it negotiates with China in a spirit of mutual respect, without any Western hypocrisy. This is because Hungary does not approach the country from an ideo-logical point of view but works to build friendly relations, respecting China’s history, culture and traditions, and its internal affairs.

The two countries share a similar vision of international relations and economic cooperation and both sides support connectivity and peaceful negotiations and reject warmongering. Thanks to this similar mindset, mutual respect, and a stable political and economic environment in Hungary, Hungar-ian imports and exports have soared since the announcement of Hungary’s “Opening to the East” policy in 2010, making China Hungary’s largest trading partner outside Europe, accounting for 4 percent of its total foreign trade. In terms of foreign direct investment, China was the largest investor in Hungary in 2022 and 2023, creating more than 20,000 new jobs in Hungary.

Chinese investments accounted for 9 percent of Hungary’s total FDI by the end of 2023. There are direct flights connecting seven Chinese cities to Budapest. Hungarian-Chinese relations have become high-level in recent years. Thanks to Chinese investment, Hungary ranks third in the world in lithium-ion battery production, with a 4 percent market share. It is expected to overtake the United States (6 percent) soon to be second to China (79 percent).

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Chinese President Xi Jinping celebrated the 75th anniversary of Hungarian-Chinese diplomatic relations in Budapest this week when Xi paid an official visit to Hungary after visits to France and Serbia. Hungary and China signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement in 2017, and the meeting between the two countries’ leaders is expected to raise the partnership to a higher level.

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Following Xi’s visit to Europe, we are looking ahead to the EU elections in June, where one of the issues at stake is whether the European Parliament should support economic cooperation, peace, and connectivity, or whether sanctions, protectionist policies, and bloc confrontation will be the order of the day. The latter do not serve the EU’s interests, and EU member states know this. the question is whether the new European Parliament will be able to decide independently.

Hungary will take over the rotating EU presidency in the second half of the year, under which EU-China relations can hopefully take a turn for the better and fit into the new multipolar world order in a mutually reinforcing and supportive way.

The author is director of the Eurasia Center at John von Neumann University in Hungary and former consul general of Hungary in Shanghai. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. 

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.