Viktor Orban, Hungarian Leader, Surprises Europe Again with Visit to China

Just three days after a visit to Moscow that angered his European allies, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban surprised again on Monday by arriving in Beijing for unannounced talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, including a promise to strengthen the already strong ties between the two countries.

The visit to China, planned in the same secrecy as his trip to Moscow on Friday to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin, is likely to intensify criticism within the European Union that the Hungarian leader is courting authoritarian leaders despite the bloc’s stated foreign policy goals.

In May, Mr Orban rolled out the red carpet for Mr Xi in Budapest, the Hungarian capital, reinforcing China’s efforts to restore its influence in Europe at a time when the European Union as a whole is trying to contain the influence of a country it views as a “systemic rival”.

China’s official summary of their meeting on Monday in Beijing said they discussed their ideas for ending the war in Ukraine, where both governments supported the terms. Ukraine refused leaning towards Russia

The meeting gave Mr. Xi and Mr. Orban, an outsider in the European Union over his support for Ukraine and other issues, a chance to push the bloc away from Washington, with which Hungary also has strained relations. Hungary begins its six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union this month, giving Mr. Orban a higher profile, though not more influence, in European affairs. But Mr. Xi appeared to ask Mr. Orban to do what he could.

For years, Mr. Orban has worked to limit the European Union’s criticism of China, angering countries that support Washington’s tough stance on the need to counter what they see as unfair Chinese trade practices.

Western European leaders have long shunned Mr Orban, who likes to defy nominal allies to pursue what he sees as Hungary’s national interests. When he visited Moscow last week, they stressed that he did not speak for the European Union. They are likely to be similarly skeptical of Mr Orban’s talks with Mr Xi in Beijing.

Mr Orban’s visit to China comes ahead of a three-day NATO summit in Washington that begins on Tuesday. At those talks, President Biden and other Western leaders able to supply Kyiv more support in the fight against Russia, although not the NATO membership that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged.

For Mr Xi, Mr Orban appears to be one of the diplomatic partners he can use to demonstrate that Beijing is building its own support network. Last week, Mr Xi hosted talk to Mr. Putin in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

“China is an important stabilizing force for promoting world peace,” Mr. Orban told Mr. Xi, according to China’s account of their most recent meeting. “Hungary highly values ​​and attaches importance to China’s role and influence.”

Mr Orban has previously describe your trip to Beijing as continuing his “peace” mission to Ukraine, a term Hungary has used to describe a settlement built on Ukraine’s capitulation to Russian demands. His visit to Russia last week was the first time a European Union leader had gone there for formal talks with Mr. Putin since the first months of Russia’s invasion.

Before visiting Moscow, Mr Orban met Mr Zelensky in Kyiv, in what observers saw as a move by the Hungarian leader to try to end his isolation in Europe over UkraineOn the plane back from Moscow, he told a Swiss journalist that his meeting with Mr Putin had been planned in extreme secrecy after his visit to Ukraine to avoid being found out by “the big guys”, a reference to the United States and its allies.

China’s account of his talks in Beijing with Mr Xi said “the two sides focused on a comprehensive discussion of the crisis in Ukraine”. Mr Orban has been vague about how he envisions a peaceful solution in Ukraine beyond calling for a “temporary ceasefire” to allow Moscow and Kyiv to begin direct talks.

“Xi praised Orban’s efforts to promote a political solution to the Ukraine crisis and presented China’s views and proposals in detail,” the Chinese statement said.

Likewise, Mr. Xi has pushed what China calls a 12-point program. peace plan that only called for an end to fighting in broad terms. But he has maintained close ties with Mr Putin, and China’s defence ministry said on Sunday that Chinese troops would take part in military exercises in Belarus, a neighbour and close partner of Russia, this month. The ministry said the joint exercises would focus on “counter-terrorism” and hostage rescue operations.