Budapest's historical Buda Castle rolled out the red carpet for a grand ceremony on Thursday to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is on a state visit to Hungary.
Early in the morning, huge national flags of China and Hungary were hung from the balcony of the castle, as horse-mounted hussars, Hungarian cavalrymen, were assembling inside the castle walls.
"We are proud that your president visited us here," a Hungarian hussar told a Chinese reporter.
Moments before Xi's arrival at the castle, Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orban were seen waiting in the courtyard.
Xi, who arrived in Budapest late on Wednesday, is on a historic first state visit to the Central European country at the invitation of 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.
Budapest's Buda Castle rolls out red carpet for Xi
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu on bilateral relations in Astana, Kazakhstan on Monday.
The talks took place ahead of the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, which is scheduled to be held in Astana on Tuesday. Wang, also member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, arrived in Kazakhstan following a two-day visit to Tajikistan.
Noting that this is his second meeting with Nurtleu in two months, Wang said China and Kazakhstan, as important neighbors and preferred cooperative partners to each other, need to maintain regular strategic communication and coordination.
Wang said that under the care and push of President Xi Jinping and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the two countries have established a permanent comprehensive strategic partnership, and on this basis, decided to build a China-Kazakhstan community of shared future, opening up new prospects for bilateral relations.
China stands ready to work with Kazakhstan to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, carry forward traditional friendship, pursue common development and prosperity through mutual support, and build a vibrant and meaningful China-Kazakhstan community of shared future, so as to benefit the two countries and their people and contribute to peace and development of the region and the world at large, Wang said.
Wang said China supports the efforts to expand bilateral trade and investment cooperation, hopes that the two sides will reach consensus on a new version of the investment protection agreement as soon as possible, and hopes that Kazakhstan will provide a sound business environment to facilitate Chinese enterprises to invest and operate in Kazakhstan.
China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Kazakhstan in oil and gas resources and other fields, continue to improve the efficiency and quality of connectivity, and strengthen cooperation on new quality productive forces, Wang said.
Wang said China supports the efforts to expand tourism cooperation, strengthen sub-national and cultural exchanges and enhance people-to-people ties between the two countries.
Nurtleu said Kazakhstan gives priority to strengthening friendship with China in its diplomacy, which conforms to the fundamental interests of the people of the two countries and is conducive to regional peace and security.
The profound friendship between the two heads of state is the locomotive of Kazakhstan-China friendly cooperation and has ushered in new "golden 30 years" of bilateral relations, he said.
Nurtleu said Kazakhstan is willing to work with China to promote the rapid development of bilateral relations, strengthen exchanges between legislative bodies and in sub-national affairs, expand practical cooperation in economy and trade, agriculture and other fields, deepen tourism cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, so as to bring benefits and prosperity to the peoples of the two countries.
Kazakhstan speaks highly of and actively supports the three global initiatives proposed by Xi. It firmly adheres to the one-China principle, believing that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and this position will not waver in any way, he said.
Wang stressed that the election in the Taiwan region is China's sub-national election, and Taiwan has never been a country and will never be a country in the future.
Neither the election result nor the so-called "ceremony" on Monday can change the basic fact that Taiwan is a part of China, nor can the election change the historical trend that China will eventually and inevitably be reunified, he said.
Wang appreciated Kazakhstan's firm adherence to the one-China principle, and its support for China's opposition to "Taiwan independence" secession and China's endeavors to achieve national reunification at an early date.
Wang said China will, as always, support Kazakhstan in safeguarding national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and oppose any external interference in Kazakhstan's internal affairs.
The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation to ensure the full success of the upcoming SCO Foreign Ministers Council meeting, prepare for the SCO summit, and push for greater development of the SCO.
Following the talks, the two sides signed a protocol on amending and supplementing the agreement on the establishment of the China-Kazakhstan Cooperation Committee, and jointly met the press.
From May 18 to 21, Wang is set to attend the SCO Foreign Ministers Council meeting and pay official visits to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, at the invitation of Nurtleu and Tajikistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sirojiddin Muhriddin.
Chinese, Kazakh FMs hold talks on bilateral ties
