Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Liu Yunshan met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest on Wednesday, aiming to lift bilateral ties to a higher level.
Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, arrived in Budapest earlier Wednesday for a two-day official good-will visit to Hungary.
China highly values relations with Hungary and treats the European nation as an important partner, said Liu, adding that the close match between Hungary's Eastern Opening policy and the China-proposed Belt and Road initiative has brought about new opportunities for improving bilateral ties.
Liu said China will work with Hungary to enhance exchanges at various levels, increase mutual trust, expand pragmatic cooperation and exchanges in areas such as culture, media, education, sports, and scientific innovation, and further advance China-CEE (Central and Eastern European countries) relations as well as the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the European Union (EU).
Liu told Orban, also chairman of the ruling party Fidesz-Hungarian Civic Alliance, that the ruling parties of both countries should deepen exchange of experience on state governance as they both shoulder the responsibility for fulfilling the task of national reform and economic development.
CPC and Fidesz-Hungarian Civic Alliance should work to promote exchanges and cooperation between companies and localities of both countries under the framework of the Belt and Road initiative and "16+1" mechanism (16 CEE countries and China), Liu said.
Hungary is a member of the "16+1" mechanism, and the first among the European nations to join the Belt and Road initiative that aims at forging a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.
Orban appreciated China's support for Hungary in the process of dealing with the debt crisis, saying his country would continue to take the right position on issues concerning China's core interests.
The Hungarian side and the CEE countries would like to see China play a more active role in international arena, and Hungary can be a bridge connecting Europe and China, the Hungarian prime minister said.
