President  Xi Jinping arrives in Budapest for a state visit to Hungary at the  invitation of Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor  Orban, May 8, 2024. Xi was warmly welcomed by Hungarian Prime Minister  Viktor Orban and his wife at Budapest Airport upon arrival.  [Photo/Xinhua]

President Xi Jinping expressed his wish to take the China-Hungary  relationship to a higher level as he arrived in Budapest on Wednesday  for a state visit to Hungary, the last stop in his three-nation trip to  Europe.

"I look forward to meeting with President Tamas Sulyok, Prime  Minister Viktor Orban and other Hungarian leaders," he said in a written  statement upon his arrival at the airport.

During his visit, Xi will meet with Sulyok and hold talks with Orban  that will feature an in-depth exchange of views on China-Hungary  relations and issues of mutual interest.

"We will jointly outline a new blueprint for cooperation and  development, with a view to steering the China-Hungary relationship  forward in big strides and taking it to a higher level," Xi said.

The Chinese president's visit came amid the 75th anniversary of the  establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Hungary. Hungary was  one of the first countries to recognize and establish diplomatic  relations with the People's Republic of China, back in 1949.

"In recent years, our two sides have seen frequent high-level  exchanges, deepening mutual trust, fruitful outcomes in Belt and Road  cooperation, vibrant people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and close  coordination and collaboration in international and regional affairs,"  Xi said.