Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming state visits to France, Serbia, and Hungary are being eagerly anticipated by local people, who believe the trip will bolster the steady and healthy development of China-Europe relations, inject greater stability and certainty into a turbulent world, and provide further impetus for global development.
At the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron of the Republic of France, President Aleksandar Vucic of the Republic of Serbia, and President Tamas Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, Chinese President Xi will pay state visits to those three countries from May 5 to 10, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced on Monday.
The 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between France and China adds a special additional significance to President Xi's visit, according to one French politician.
"President Xi's upcoming visit will be particularly important to France, China, and the rest of the world. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, this visit has landmark significance. The two countries can jointly think about and respond to global challenges," said Bruno Fuchs, a member of the French National Assembly.
"France and China have important strategic cooperation in transportation, new energy, and nuclear energy. This will also allow for a strengthening of the relationship, a stabilization of this relationship, and a renewed momentum for the next 60 years, which is crucial in the current context," said Sybille Dubois-Fontaine, director-general of the France China Committee (FCC).
"(President Xi's visit) is a beautiful opportunity for ever closer relations between our two countries. I think it will also be crucial to the western cultural field, including France, and even the world. Over the past 20 years, I have been committed to closer relations between China and France and promoting cooperation between Chinese and French artists. Therefore, President Xi's visit will also be an important moment for me personally," said Remy Aron, president of the House of Artists Association in France.
Ana Brnabic, Serbian Parliament Speaker, also welcomed the visit, emphasizing that it will write a new chapter in the friendship between the two countries. "We are, as the Republic of Serbia, deeply committed to this iron-clad friendship and partnership. It’s more than a strategic friendship and partnership between between our two countries. And now as the speaker of the national parliament of the Republic of Serbia, I fully intend to engage, also personally, on continuing to strengthen this partnership," said Brnabic.
Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said that as this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Hungary and China, he expects President Xi's visit to open a new chapter in bilateral relations.
"It's a great honor for us that the president [Xi] pays an official visit to Hungary, putting into consideration the 75th anniversary of the establishment of our bilateral diplomatic ties. Hungary has been attaching a great significance to the strategic nature of cooperation with the People's Republic of China. Our expectation is that we enter a new chapter in this relationship through this visit. We have some proposals for joint infrastructure projects in the framework of the Belt and Road initiative, of which we are great fans by the way. We do hope that the new type of financial cooperation between China and Hungary will be continued," said Szijjarto.
Xi's upcoming state visits expected to strengthen ties, promote stability
