Xi shares touching moment during visit to Hungary

Chinese President Xi Jinping shared a touching moment during his state visit to Hungary on Thursday during talks with Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok at the Sandor Palace in Budapest.

As Xi arrived at the airport to start his state visit to Hungary on Wednesday, he was presented with a bouquet of flowers by a female student named Olah Tamara. He later learned that the same student had presented a bouquet to him during his visit to Hungary 15 years ago, when he was vice president.

"You visited Hungary 15 years ago when you were Chinese vice president, and I'm glad to welcome you to Hungary again as Chinese president. It has been just two months since I took office as Hungarian president, so I feel honored to greet you here. We believe that the President's current visit will lift the ties between our two countries to a higher level," said Sulyok during the talks.

"I'm very glad to visit the beautiful country of Hungary and get acquainted with the President. This is my first visit to Hungary as Chinese president and I have experienced an especially touching moment during this visit. After I got off the plane yesterday, a young woman presented flowers to me. Then I was told that this was the same girl who presented flowers to me during my visit here 15 years ago. She was only six years old back then, and now she has become a young woman. It was touching to me because her growth from a kid to a beautiful young woman symbolizes the growth of the friendship between China and Hungary," said Xi.

Xi shares touching moment during visit to Hungary

Xi shares touching moment during visit to Hungary

Xi shares touching moment during visit to Hungary

Xi shares touching moment during visit to Hungary

Xi shares touching moment during visit to Hungary

As a flagship project and a signature brand under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the China-Europe freight train has built up a transportation network that supports the stability of global supply chains and injects new impetus into global economic development.

At the Xi'an International Port in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the Chang'an China-Europe freight train, loaded with daily necessities, photovoltaic equipment, new energy vehicles and other goods, began its westward journey and is expected to arrive at its destination -- Kazakhstan's former capital Almaty -- in seven days.

Over the past year, freight train services have made a breakthrough in operations, running regularly from Xi'an to Almaty and Tashkent in Uzbekistan, covering five Central Asian countries.

In February this year, Kazakhstan's terminal in Xi'an officially came into operation and shortened the travel time from Xi'an to Tashkent from 13 to nine days, and the entire journey of the Trans-Caspian Railway was shortened from up to 25 days to 12 days.

"The construction of the Almaty China-Kazakhstan Logistics Station in cooperation with Kazakhstan Railway is expected to be completed within the year. Currently, the Chang'an Trans-Caspian line operates five trains a week, and we plan to have trains operating every day as from June," said Yuan Xiaojun, general manager of Xi'an Free Trade Port Construction and Operation.

Nursulu Zholbaskanova from Kazakhstan, who works for a container logistics business in Xi'an, has also deeply felt the changes of the past year. She said over the past two years, the number of containers has increased from less than 3,000 to tens of thousands now.

"Since the China-Central Asia Summit, our company's monthly transactions have increased. We used to send one to 15 trains per month, but now we send more than 60 trains every month," added Zholbaskanova.

With the smooth operation of the Chang'an China-Europe freight trains, distinctive Central Asian products are constantly being introduced to new markets. In addition, the China-Central Asia International Cultural Tourism Train from Xi'an to Almaty will begin operations at the end of June or early July this year, further promoting cultural exchanges between China and Central Asian countries.

China-Europe freight trains inject impetus into global economic development