BUDAPEST, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) and China should better understand each other, Istvan Ujhelyi, a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Hungary, has said in an interview with Xinhua.
Ujhelyi, who also chairs the Europe-China One Belt One Road Culture and Tourism Development Committee, expressed hope that the organization would contribute more to the growth of EU-China tourism and cultural ties.
Ujhelyi is vice chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism and is a long-standing advocate of boosting the relationship between China and Europe.
He spoke of the importance of interpersonal relations between the EU and China in deepening ties, saying it was essential to bridge the geographic and cultural distance by getting to know one another better, through direct people-to-people contact.
Tourism is one of the top issues, he said, with 107 million Chinese tourists traveling each year, more than one third of whom visit Europe. That overall number is expected to further rise, he added, which would naturally increase visits to Europe, too.
Founded in April this year, the Europe-China One Belt One Road Culture and Tourism Development Committee has a primary goal of establishing a cooperation network between Chinese and European diplomats, business leaders, and politicians to promote tourism and cultural contacts.
Ujhelyi, a co-founder of the committee, voiced the hope that current start-up cooperation projects would evolve into significant and close cooperation in culture and tourism down the line, expanding opportunities for Europe.
Asked why the European Parliament had denied China market economy status in a non-legally binding resolution despite the support of governments such as Hungary, Ujhelyi explained that too many MEPs were under-informed regarding China and feared the country's potential to become a great power. Many trade unions bombarded the EP with their fears, and the outcome was an emotional rather than a rational decision, he said.
However, he added, the game isn't over yet, for the position of the European Commission has to be considered.
Speaking about ties between China and Hungary, he noted that Chinese tourists tended to like Budapest, but Hungary needed to improve its facilities to attract large numbers of tourists.
Talking about the South China Sea disputes, Ujhelyi said Hungary's position was unequivocal. He cited Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto as saying that it would be in everyone's interests if the parties to the South China Sea dispute were to resolve it themselves, through peaceful means and without outside interference.
