BUDAPEST: On Wednesday, May 8, Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Budapest for his final European tour. The tour aims to strengthen the already strong ties between Beijing and its closest EU ally, Serbia. Jinping had previously visited Serbia.
During his three-day visit to Hungary, Xi is expected to attend a state dinner with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban later on Wednesday to commemorate the seventy-five years of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
He started his European tour with a friendly visit to France, bringing to light the differences between Beijing and the EU over the war in Ukraine and international trade. Xi concluded his tour of Serbia earlier on Wednesday; like Hungary, Serbia has strong ties to China and Russia.
China has invested billions of dollars in manufacturing and mining in Serbia and the surrounding Balkan nations, and Beijing and Belgrade last year inked a free-trade agreement. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met Xi and his spouse Peng Liyuan on a red carpet outside the capital’s administrative buildings on Wednesday. The prime minister and the governor of the National Bank of Serbia shook hands with the Chinese leader after he was greeted with a gun salute.
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