ielding questions, Mr Gulyas said the tariffs, announced on Wednesday, were "unreasonable" and "ideologically-based". 

"If the Chinese introduce similar tariffs, Europe won't be the winner but the loser, and a bigger loser than China," he warned.

He noted that supply chains for cars and devices all had some products manufactured in China.

"The global economy builds on connectivity," he said, adding that trying to decouple from the Chinese economy would result in economic fallout on a massive scale for Europe.

Asked whether the punitive tariffs could affect Chinese investments in the pipeline in Hungary, such as a plant planned by EV maker BYD, Gulyás said he saw little risk and added that, from certain aspects, it could be advantageous for the Chinese to have such a manufacturing facility within the EU. He added that, overall, the punitive tariffs would have a negative effect on Europe and Hungary.

At a recent meeting Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had with European industry leaders, among them the head of BMW, none of the executives believed limitations on trade were appropriate, he said.