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Hungarian media outlet 444 has compiled a list of the outstanding debts of the state of Hungary, primarily using data from the Public Debt Management Centre (ÁKK). Their findings show that in just three years, the Hungarian government has accumulated considerable debt to China. By the end of the second quarter of this year, Hungary owed HUF 71.79 billion (EUR 182 million) to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, a debt first incurred in the last quarter of 2022.
Earlier, in the second quarter of 2022, Hungary secured a loan for the construction of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line. So far, they have drawn down HUF 341.6 billion (EUR 866 million) for this project. The total investment for the railway amounts to HUF 750 billion (EUR 1.9 billion), of which 85% is being financed by loans and 15% by co-financing. Additionally, in the spring of this year, Hungary requested a loan of EUR 1 billion in complete secrecy by the end of the second quarter, according to the ÁKK’s accounts.
On top of these loans, Hungary also has CNY 3 billion worth of foreign currency bonds due for repayment to Chinese investors this year and next, which equates to around EUR 380 million at the current exchange rates. In total, 444 estimates Hungary’s debt to China now exceeds HUF 1,000 billion (EUR 2.536 billion), although they caution it could be even higher.