Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday expressed his "full confidence" in the development of China-Hungary relations.
Xi made the remarks when he jointly met the press with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban after their talks in Budapest.
"This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Hungary. Over the past 75 years, the two sides, guided by the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, have pushed bilateral relations to sail in the right direction and enter the best period in history. I just had cordial, friendly and productive talks with Prime Minister Orban. We had an in-depth exchange of views and reached broad consensus on the development of bilateral ties in the new era and issues of common concern. We witnessed the exchange of a series of important bilateral cooperation documents. I have full confidence in the prospects for bilateral relations," Xi said at the press conference.
Before the press conference, Xi and Orban announced during their talks that China and Hungary had decided to elevate bilateral relations to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era.
Xi, who arrived in the Hungarian capital late on Wednesday, is on a state visit to the Central European country at the invitation of Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok and Orban.
Hungary is the last leg of Xi's three-nation European tour from May 5 to 10, which has already taken him to France and Serbia.
Xi voices "full confidence" in prospects for China-Hungary relations
Xi voices "full confidence" in prospects for China-Hungary relations
Xi voices "full confidence" in prospects for China-Hungary relations
As a city famous for its ice and snow tourism, Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, has a rich history of cultural exchanges between China and neighboring Russia.
The Saint Sophia Cathedral, a century-old Russian building and a famous Harbin landmark, is a symbol of the long history of exchanges and welcomes visitors from home and overseas. "This city is beautiful. Our first stop was to visit this Russian church. Putin has just visited China, which means China-Russia relations will get better and cooperation broader," said Ma Li, a tourist from central China's Wuhan City. "There are so many architecture details which are connected with Russia, for example, this church. I'm impressed," said Natalia Obukhov, a professor from Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University. "I'm here for the first time and I'm really impressed by history, by new buildings, by everything I see here," said Adnan Mujezinovic, a professor from University of Sarajevo. The squares, buildings, and galleries surrounding the church also showcase Russian-style architecture. In a gallery which displays a captivating collection of Russian paintings, matryoshka dolls, and various souvenirs, Manager Chen Limei provided insightful guidance on identifying high-quality dolls. "The well painted ones have collection value. This one has a storyline. You can see the details are well drawn, the patterns are layered, the color changes are gradual, not solid, and there is the artist's signature at the bottom," Chen said. Chen proudly introduced this gallery, which contains many paintings drawn by famous artists. She said it's not just a souvenir shop, but a corner of Harbin that promotes art.
Since China and Russia resumed visa-free group travel in August last year, Russia's Economic Development Ministry expected the flow of tourists between the two countries to reach pre-epidemic levels in 2025.
Earlier this month, the five-day 8th China-Russia Expo opened in Harbin, which is expected to play a role in enhancing trade and investment between the two countries.
Harbin serves as symbol of shared history between China, Russia
