Ambassador: Chinese Presidential Visit 'Historic'

The official visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Hungary next week will be a milestone in the history of relations between the two countries and may give new impetus to strengthening cooperation, as well as have important global implications, Gong Tao, China's Ambassador to Hungary, said at a press conference in Budapest on Tuesday.

During his first European trip after 2019, Xi Jinping will visit France as well as Hungary and Serbia. The last visit by a Chinese head of state to Hungary on an official trip was 20 years ago.

During the state visit, Xi Jinping will hold talks on bilateral relations, China-Europe relations and international and regional issues affecting the two countries.

As the Ambassador noted, Xi Jinping's visit coincides with the 75th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Chinese president will also sign a number of bilateral agreements during his visit, he said.

In recent years, China and Hungary have established a comprehensive strategic partnership, and this cooperation is progressing in an ever-wider range of areas, according to the diplomat.

He said that the One Belt, One Road initiative coincided with the Hungarian government's Eastern Opening policy, and was of the view that both sides are interested in deepening cooperation and new investments in infrastructure, telecommunications, chemicals and electric vehicles, in addition to renewable energy, which could give a new boost to economic relations.

Turning to economic relations, he said that Hungary has been China's number one investment destination for years and its biggest foreign trade partner alongside the European Union.

He added that tourism relations could be helped by the fact that from this March Hungarian tourists will be able to travel to China without a visa, and from the summer the number of direct flights between the two countries could rise to 20, the highest among the countries in the region.