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Zhao Leji on Hungary

Hails strong partnership (strong)

TL;DR

Zhao Leji strongly supports mutual trust and win-win cooperation, building on the elevated strategic partnership with Hungary.

Key Points

  • He paid an official goodwill visit to Hungary from July 24 to 28, 2025, holding meetings with the President, Prime Minister, and Speaker of the National Assembly.

  • He stressed the importance of synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and Hungary’s “Eastern Opening” strategy for landmark projects like the Budapest-Belgrade railway.

  • He affirmed that the Chinese side welcomes more high-quality agricultural and food products from Hungary to the Chinese market during his meeting with the Prime Minister.

Summary

Zhao Leji, in his capacity as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, hailed the mutual trust and win-win cooperation between China and Hungary during an official goodwill visit in July 2025. He noted that the relationship was elevated to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era following a state visit by President Xi Jinping in May 2024, which opened broader prospects for friendly cooperation. He expressed China’s readiness to work with Hungary as good friends, good partners, and good brothers, focusing on aligning the Belt and Road Initiative with Hungary’s “Eastern Opening” strategy.

During his engagements, he emphasized advancing the implementation of outcomes from the previous high-level visit and called for the legislature to provide firm support for mutually beneficial cooperation. He stressed completing landmark projects, such as the Budapest-Belgrade railway link, with high quality, and encouraged increased people-to-people exchanges in culture, media, and youth. Furthermore, he conveyed appreciation for Hungary's firm adherence to the one-China principle and hoped the nation would continue playing a positive role in the sound development of China-EU relations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Zhao Leji holds a very positive position, viewing the relationship as being at its best in history, characterized by mutual trust and win-win cooperation. He actively works to solidify the relationship, which was recently elevated to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership.

His visit in July 2025 was an official goodwill trip where he met with top Hungarian leaders, including the President and Prime Minister. The purpose was to advance the implementation of high-level agreements and strengthen ties between the legislative bodies.

He emphasized the need to align China’s Belt and Road Initiative with Hungary's Eastern Opening strategy to ensure the high-quality completion of major infrastructure like the Budapest-Belgrade railway. He also pushed for enhanced cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

Sources7

* This is not an exhaustive list of sources.