Chinese President Xi Jinping signed an all-weather strategic partnership deal with Hungary on Thursday, capping a three-nation diplomatic tour of Europe aimed at cementing Beijing’s footprint on the continent and countering growing European efforts to reduce risks and national security-based restrictions.
“We are willing to take this as a new starting point to push bilateral relations and pragmatic cooperation into a golden channel and evolve to a higher level,” Xi said in Budapest after meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Hungary, which has become a key investment and trade partner for China, was the final stop of the Chinese leader’s first European tour in five years – part of a six-day diplomatic offensive that also saw him visit France and Serbia.
