China, Hungary pledge to strengthen ties, cooperation

Wang Yi (L), a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, shakes hands with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto during their meeting in Budapest, Hungary, on Feb. 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

BUDAPEST, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- China and Hungary agreed on Monday to continue strengthening their friendly relations and pushing for more progress in bilateral cooperation in various areas.

The consensus was reached during a meeting between Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto in Budapest.

Noting that Hungary is a good friend of China in Europe, Wang said the two sides respect, trust and support each other and have forged a profound friendship.

China will firmly pursue a friendly policy toward Hungary and will support its domestic and foreign policies adopted based on the fundamental interests of the Hungarian people, said Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

China is ready to work with Hungary to implement the important consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, seize the opportunity brought about by China's optimizing its epidemic prevention and control policies as well as its strong economic recovery, exploit the two countries' respective advantages, push for progress in bilateral cooperation on infrastructure, investment, trade and tourism, and elevate their cooperation on building the Belt and Road to a new level, Wang said.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of China's comprehensive strategic partnership with the European Union (EU), Wang said, noting that China and Europe have never been rivals, and their common interests far outweigh their differences.

He said China's cooperation with Hungary, with the Central and Eastern European countries, and with Europe at large can achieve benign interactions and open up more room for development.

In the face of changes and disorders in the world, China and Hungary should jointly practice multilateralism, uphold the basic norms governing international relations, oppose unilateralism and hegemonism and provide more stability to the world, Wang said.

Szijjarto highlighted the importance of Hungary-China cooperation in Hungary's diplomacy and expressed his country's gratitude to China for its sincere support in such areas as politics, economy and the fight against the pandemic. Such cooperation has brought tangible benefits to Hungary and has been well received by the Hungarian people, he added.

He pledged that Hungary will continue to firmly advance friendly cooperation with China, participate actively in high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, and speed up the construction of the Hungary-Serbia railway.

Expressing thanks to China for having included Hungary among the first destinations for outbound group travels, Szijjarto said he looks forward to further strengthening cooperation with China in such areas as economy and trade, mutual investment and agriculture.

The two sides also exchanged views on Ukraine. Wang stressed that China will work with all the peace-loving countries, including Hungary, to make efforts to achieve an early ceasefire and lasting peace.

Szijjarto highly appreciated China's objective and just position on this issue as well as its active efforts to promote peace talks.