Germany ‘has all the tools’ to whip Hungary into line on Hong Kong, but does it really want to?

German foreign minister describes Budapest’s latest intervention as ‘absolutely incomprehensible’

The China-Hungary-Germany nexus is crucial to EU-China relations, encompassing trade leverage and humanitarian concerns

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China’s relationship with the European Union is coloured by its relationships with member states. Hungary and Germany, while differing in their approach to Beijing, both influence the China-EU relationship. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 12:05am, 12 May 2021Updated: 1:20am, 12 May 2021

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban describes his foreign policy as a “peacock dance”.

“He takes one step to the right, one step back, and tries to rattle his beautiful feathers to please everyone,” said Tamás Matura, a professor covering Chinese-Hungarian relations at the Corvinus University of Budapest, explaining the comparison.

But the wily leader’s latest routine has ruffled feathers in Berlin and Brussels. Last week, his government blocked the European Union’s efforts to censure Beijing for its political crackdown in Hong Kong for the second month in succession.

“This is not the first time that Hungary has broken away from [the EU’s] unity when it comes to the issue of China,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday, after a meeting of the bloc’s top diplomats.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has blocked EU efforts to censure Beijing. Photo: DPA

As reported by the South China Morning Post last week, Hungary shot down proposals to criticise Beijing’s plans over electoral reform in Hong Kong, and its sweeping national security law that has seen opposition politicians and protesters locked up by the dozen.

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