BUDAPEST — Visiting State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for strengthening cooperation with Hungary under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on July 12.

Wang was speaking at the opening of the second China-Hungary “Belt and Road” working group meeting, which was also attended by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.

The Chinese top diplomat said that the joint work on the Belt and Road has ushered in a new beginning following the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation earlier this year.

China prefers to pursue joint development, actively advocates multilateralism and opposes unilateralism and protectionism, Wang said, adding that China, focusing on peoples’ well-being, expects the Belt and Road cooperation to benefit peoples of all the participating countries.

China will actively build the global interconnectivity partnership, promote infrastructure connectivity, and encourage more countries to participate in and benefit from the global value chain, industry chain and supply chain, said Wang.

Hungary has been a front-runner in the Belt and Road international cooperation, and the BRI has been continuously aligning with Hungary’s “Opening to the East” policy, with important progress made in the Hungary-Serbia railway project, he said.

China is willing to work with Hungary to build on the progress made by the two sides in various areas of cooperation under BRI, push for bigger progress in China-EU joint building of the Belt and Road, and promote common development and progress in the world, Wang added.