Beijing, Budapest carry ties forward

President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that the China-Hungary relationship is now at its best in history, and he called on the two sides to summarize the valuable experience of the past and continue deepening practical cooperation in various sectors.

The two countries decided to elevate bilateral relations to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era.

Xi, who had just concluded state visits to France and Serbia, held talks on Thursday with Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest, capital of Hungary, on the third leg of his six-day European trip.

Calling Sulyok "an experienced statesman and a legal expert", Xi said he appreciates the Hungarian president's long-standing dedication to growing the China-Hungary friendship and his positive contribution to development of bilateral ties.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1949, China and Hungary have always respected each other, treated each other as equals and pursued mutual benefit.

Last year, China was Hungary's largest source of foreign investment, as well as its largest trading partner outside the European Union.

As the first European country to sign a cooperation agreement with China on the Belt and Road Initiative, Hungary has been a distribution center for China-Europe freight trains and a crucial link in the logistics transportation corridor between China and Europe over the past decade.

Xi stressed the importance of summarizing the valuable experience of the past 75 years, which has ensured the steady development of bilateral ties.