About us
Our Story
Gateway to Europe V4-China Association is the continuation of Gateway to Europe Hungarian-Chinese Association which was established in 2011 in tune with the Hungarian government’s introduction of the so-called “Eastern Opening” policy.
In the first few years, the association focused on cultural ties between Hungary and China, organized concerts, exhibitions and other events. In 2017, we took a big step toward widening our scope to all the Visegrad Group countries.
It is our firm belief that these four countries of the V4 have a significantly greater chance of becoming winners of the “One belt, One Road” initiative started by the Chinese government in 2013.
The renewed association is focusing on foreign policy and strategic ties between the V4 and China, within the framework of the so-called 16+1 platform, also launched by Beijing in 2013.
At Gateway to Europe V4-China Association, we provide political consultation, organize conferences for researchers and think tanks, but have kept organizing cultural events among our activities as well.
Our mission is to complement and assisst the political and commercial realm through our activities in order to further strengthen ties between CEECs and China.
We strongly believe that building the New Silk Road is the way of the future for Europe and Asia to make each other prosperous in the coming decades.
Our Mission
Our main purpose is to find solutions for connecting CEE countries with China, therefore we welcomed the 16+1 from the very beginning.
We find it to be a good path toward closer cooperation between our region and China. Gateway to Europe V4-China Association respects and acknowledges both the EU and the 16+1.
We feel strongly that as the Visegrad Group has become more significant in European politics than ever before, being the engine of growth of the EU, it would be desirable for both the
European Union as well as China to consider the V4 to be the core of their future cooperation and direction of politics.
Without the other 12 countries within the 16+1, the V4 has very little chance to find the perfect way to work with Beijing, but at the same time, they have always had a leading role.
The 16 CEE countries need to find a common denominator and work out ways to create an agreement for a joint China policy. However, at this point, this idea remains distant and
quite complex, therefore the smart and sound solution is to start with the V4. If those four nations can find a common ground first, the success of the 16+1 can be boosted significantly.
Likewise, the V4 is a strong and viable group inside the European Union, with no interest in working against it by opening to the East and exploring the opportunities provided by the One
Belt, One Road initiative. In short, V4+China needs to become a part of the solution leading to the success of the 16+1 platform.
It is beneficial for China to bring the nations of the Central European region together, so the Visegrad Group must take a leading role in building the New Silk Road, just like they have
taken a pioneering position in the direction Europe is taking, and the mission of Gateway to Europe is to support this strategy with all its activities.
