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Xi Jinping: China and Hungary have always been allies
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and President of the People's Republic of China, issued a joint press statement.
Orbán began his speech by saying that we live in a multi-polar world order, and one of the pillars of this order is China. He described the relationship between the two countries as an uninterrupted allyship, and underlined that Hungary has always been committed to the "One China Principle". The Hungarian Prime Minister said that Hungary supports all initiatives to end the Russian-Ukrainian war, including the Chinese "peace plan".
"In the past 20 years, trade between the two countries has quadrupled, there are now many more direct flights and a strategic partnership has now been agreed with Xi," Orbán said. He went on to say that Chinese companies now employ tens of thousands of Hungarians that Hungary will continue to ensure fair and equitable conditions for companies investing here, and that they want to create opportunities for the most modern Western and the most modern Eastern companies.
Xi stressed that the Chinese One Belt, One Road, and Hungary's strategy of opening up to the East are compatible, and they will strengthen cooperation in this field as well.
China also supports Hungary in playing a greater role in the European Union.
Hungary Ranks Third Lowest in EU on World Press Freedom Index
Hungary ranks as the third-worst EU nation in the latest World Press Freedom Index according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), joining the ranks of Malta and Greece at the bottom. Despite a slight improvement in its score from the previous year, Hungary has only moved up five spots to 67th place out of 180 countries, with a score of 62.98.
The country's far-right PM Viktor Orbán and his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico, is at the "forefront" of a "dangerous trend" of diminishing independent journalism. RSF's report highlights a worrying escalation in the suppression of media freedom across Europe and Central Asia over the past year. RSF singled out Orbán in its 2021 "press freedom predators" gallery, marking him as the sole EU leader to be included in this category.
Orban loses case against Economx
Viktor Orbán lost his lawsuit against the Economx business newspaper in the first instance on Monday at the Budapest City Court, Media1 reports. He sued several Hungarian news outlets over quoting the piece. The Hungarian Prime Minister objected to articles that quoted a statement by the CEO of SPAR. In it, Hans Reisch spoke about Hungarian oligarchs and why and how the food chain had started to flee the country.
"The prime minister, as one of the most important public figures in public life, has a greater duty of tolerance concerning the opinions expressed about him. The Economx only took on board the opinion of the head of SPAR in Austria, which cannot be redressed," the court ruled on Monday.
Péter Magyar's party becomes the strongest opposition party in Hungary
The most recent survey by Medián, reveals that Péter Magyar's Tisza Party commands a notable 24 percent among potential voters ( (contrasting with Fidesz's 46% support) ahead of the European Parliament elections. Hvg notes that this places the recently established party significantly ahead of its opposition counterparts, solidifying its position as Hungary's leading opposition force.
Péter Magyar's party surged ahead of Hungary's conventional opposition factions. Magyar emerges as the standout figure in the electoral race, enjoying a substantial 43% of voter backing, a substantial 10 percentage points beyond the lead candidate for Fidesz, Tamás Deutsch. Iranytu Institute also ranked Tisza Pary as the strongest opposition party.