BUDAPEST, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Hungary attracted over 13 billion euros (14.24 billion U.S. dollars) in foreign direct investments (FDI) in 2023, marking a record high, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said on Thursday.
This record amount of FDI to Hungary comes amidst global economic challenges, with a 30 percent drop in worldwide investments in the first half of last year, Szijjarto said in a video message posted on his Facebook page.
The FDI influx to Hungary last year, which doubled the 2022 level of 6.5 billion euros, has created 19,000 jobs, also a record for the country, the minister said.
According to the minister, the majority of the investments in 2023 came from China. China's electric car manufacturer BYD has planned to build a factory in southern Hungarian city of Szeged, which will be the sixth of its kind in Hungary.
Szijjarto said Hungary held a strong position in the evolving global economy, highlighting the country's success in attracting major electric vehicle industry investments.
"Hungary will have the second largest capacity in the world for the production of batteries for electric cars, making Hungary the European champion of the green, environmentally friendly car industry and one of the global leaders," he concluded. (1 euro = 1.10 U.S. dollar) ■
