On November 30, 2016, the first China-Hungary "Belt and Road" working group meeting was held in Beijing. Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó of Hungary attended and addressed the opening ceremony together.

Wang Yi stated that jointly building the "Belt and Road" initiative is a significant international cooperation initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013, which aims at carrying forward the spirit of the ancient Silk Road, synergizing development strategies, achieving respective advantage complementarity, promoting practical cooperation in various fields and seeking development and win-win results. In recent 3 years, the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative has made smooth progress thanks to joint efforts of all parties. More than 100 countries, including Hungary, and international organizations have actively supported and participated in the initiative and reached wide international consensus. At the same time, a series of important early harvests have been achieved at levels of national and regional cooperation, which effectively enhance the well-being of all peoples. Although the "Belt and Road" initiative is proposed by China, the "Belt and Road" construction is not a solo but a symphony. In line with the principles of wide consultation, joint construction and shared benefits, China will continue to work with other countries to promote this great process. It is believed that the "Belt and Road" construction will help countries along the route to give full play to their comparative advantages, boost diverse, autonomous, balanced and sustainable development and provide tremendous and sustainable positive energy for the global economy, especially for the development and revitalization of the Eurasian continent.

Wang Yi expressed that Hungary is among the first countries that recognized and established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. In recent years, China-Hungary relations have shown a sound momentum of rapid and comprehensive development. In June 2015, the two countries signed the Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding on Jointly Building the "Belt and Road" Initiative, which is the first intergovernmental cooperation document on the "Belt and Road" initiative between China and European countries and marks the successful alignment between the major "Belt and Road" initiative put forward by China and the policy of "opening to the East" held by Hungary, injecting new impetus to and opening up a broader prospect for the development of bilateral relations. For more than one year, the "Belt and Road" cooperation between various departments of both sides has made positive progress. The "Belt and Road" working group meeting held by two sides is an innovative move that is helpful to truly implement the important consensus of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative through pragmatic cooperation in various fields. It is hoped that the bilateral working group will well play its coordinating role, sort out cooperation in various fields, and map out and develop cooperation in the next step to drive the further and in-depth development of China-Hungary strategic relationship and push cooperation in various fields for more tangible and specific results.

Péter Szijjártó noted that Hungary attaches great importance to China. Its "opening to the East" policy is highly consistent with China's "Belt and Road" initiative. Hungary is honored to be the first country to sign the intergovernmental cooperation document on the "Belt and Road" initiative and set up the "Belt and Road" working group with China. Hungary is very delighted to walk in the forefront of EU-China relations and cooperation between Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) and China. The country will do its utmost to continue to be a pioneer in promoting CEEC-China cooperation and make positive contributions to advancing the "Belt and Road" construction.