Reinvigorated friendship

WANG XIAOYING/CHINA DAILY This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Hungary. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Hungary on May 8 to 10, and agreed with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to elevate Hungarian-Chinese cooperation to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era. And in July, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Beijing as part of a "peace mission", where he said during the Chinese president's visit to Budapest serious agreements were made, but more importantly, the friendship between the two peoples was established for several generations, as President Xi's visit was convincing and cordial, demonstrating China's goodwill and respect toward Hungary. In June, the Polish president held talks in China, and in May, President Xi visited not only Hungary but also France, where President Emmanuel Macron took him to one of the places of his childhood. In the West, there is great concern about Chinese investment in Hungary, especially as 44 percent of China's European investment in 2023 was directed to the country — thanks to greenfield investments by some large Chinese companies.