Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest on February 19, 2023. Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry

Despite differences in size, China and Hungary have always respected, understood and trusted each other. The bilateral relations have become a model for international exchange, China's top diplomat said when meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest on Sunday.

Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, is scheduled to visit France, Italy, Hungary and Russia from February 14 to 22 at the invitation of the governments of the four countries.

China is ready to advance friendly exchanges with Hungary in an all-round way, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and strive to promote democracy in international relations and a multi-polar world, Wang noted.

As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, the two sides should continue to strengthen high-quality cooperation in jointly building the initiative, Wang said, emphasizing that China appreciates Hungary's active support for the development of China-EU relations, which not only serves the interests of the Chinese and Hungarian people, but also serves the fundamental and long-term interests of Europe.

Orban said that the Hungarian side firmly pursues a friendly policy toward China and attaches great importance to cooperation with China in various fields. Hungary will continue to make unremitting efforts to promote the development of EU-China relations, he added.

Thanks to China's selfless assistance over the years during the pandemic, Chinese vaccines have saved many lives in Hungary, the prime minister remarked.

Hungary started using COVID-19 vaccines produced by China National Pharmaceutical Group Sinopharm on February 24, 2021, becoming the first EU country to do so. Before that, Hungary's regulator granted emergency-use approval for the use of the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine on January 29, 2021, and then purchased five million doses from Sinopharm - enough to treat 2.5 million people in the country with a population of nearly 10 million.

The two sides also exchanged in-depth views on the Ukraine issue, believing that the more complicated the situation is, the more it is necessary to remain calm, make correct choices in line with the norms governing international relations and the long-term interests of Europe, so as to see the realization of peace and stability in Europe at an early date.

Global Times