High Level Exchanges and Foreign Policy

l President Xi Jinping to visit France, Serbia and Hungary

At the invitation of President of France Emmanuel Macron, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, President of Hungary Tamas Sulyok and Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban, President Xi Jinping will pay state visits to France, Serbia and Hungary from May 5 to 10.

l Senior Chinese Legislator Visits Hungary and BiH

Xiao Jie, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), led a delegation to Hungary from March 19 to 21 at the invitation of the Hungarian National Assembly. (read more) Xiao Jie led a delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) from March 21 to 24, at the invitation of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH. (read more)

l Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Slovenia Visits China

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng meets with Tanja Fajon, deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Slovenia, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, April 17, 2024. (read more)

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds talks with Tanja Fajon, deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Slovenia, in Beijing, capital of China, April 17, 2024. (read more)

l Chinese FM Holds Talks with Hungarian FM

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds talks with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto in Beijing, capital of China, April 24, 2024. (read more)

l Chinese Vice FM Holds a Political Consultation with State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia 

On April 24, 2024, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Deng Li and State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia Marek Estok held the China-Slovakia political consultation at the vice foreign ministerial level in Beijing.

l Chinese Government Work Report: China’s overall economic recovery and growth were boosted, China is the largest engine of the world economy

In 2023, China’s overall economic recovery and growth were boosted. China’s gross domestic product (GDP) surpassed 126 trillion yuan, an increase of 5.2 percent, ranking China among the fastest-growing major economies in the world. In 2023, China’s economic growth generates over RMB 6 trillion, equivalent to the annual GDP of a medium-sized country. The report of the International Financial Forum demonstrates that China contributes 32 percent to the global economic growth in 2023 and is the largest engine of the world economy. China’s economy has made steady progress on the track of high-quality development, and has entered the ranks of innovative countries. China supported an average annual economic growth of 6 percent with only an average annual energy consumption growth of 3%. China has topped the world in manufacturing value added for 14 years in a row, and its total value of imports and exports of goods has ranked first in the world for many years. China accounted for over 60 percent of global electric vehicle output and sales. China is a major destination for foreign investment and leads the world in outbound investment, maintaining a basic balance in its international payments.

In 2024, China will further introduce major measures to comprehensively deepen reform, accelerate the development of new quality productive forces, and steadily promote high-quality development, which will continue to inject strong impetus into the promotion of the Chinese path to modernization and boost global economic recovery.

China-CEEC Dynamics

l CEEC Diplomatic Envoys to China Visited Tianjin on Lantern Festival

On February 24, a delegation of 30 CEEC ambassadors, diplomats and their families visited Tianjin to celebrate the Lantern Festival amid a festive and bustling atmosphere. The delegation was shown the wonder and charm of traditional Chinese artistic handicrafts, tea culture, pharmaceutical process etc. They shared with Tianjin citizens a taste of festive vibe by participating in the First Tianjin Lantern Light Show on Water.

l CEEC Diplomatic Envoys to China Visited Shandong

From April 18 to 20, ambassadors, diplomats and journalists from Albania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Hungary and Slovenia visited Jinan, Zibo and Weifang. They met with Shandong provincial and municipal governors, paid visits to Shandong Heavy Industry Group, Qihe Biotech, Shouguang Vegetable Town, Boshan Ceramic Glass Art Center, and Qi Heritage Museum separately. They attended “A Tastes of CEEC” Festival at Qingzhounan expressway service areas, opening ceremony of Weifang International Kite Festival, and opening ceremony of China (Shouguang) International Vegetable Sci-Tech Fair. Through these activities, diplomatic envoys had a deeper understanding of the economic and social achievements made by the Shandong Province and a first-hand impression of the hospitality of the Shandong people, and built connections between the two sides’ advantageous industries to facilitate their cooperation under the China-CEEC framework. During this visit, delegates provided valuable insights to support Shandong’s work as the Chair of the Chinese side of the China-CEEC Association of Provincial Governors.

l Advancing the Establishment of A China-CEEC Agricultural Products Wholesale Market

From April 12 to 13, Sui Pengfei, Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, led a delegation to Poland. Sui’s delegation exchanged views with its Polish counterparts on the establishment of a China-CEEC agricultural products wholesale market.

l Growing Connectivity between China and CEECs

On April 25, the opening ceremony of the Novi Sad-Subotica section of the Belgrade-Budapest high-speed railway in Serbia was held. Construction of the Novi Sad-Subotica section, with a total length of 108 km, officially started in July 2022. Upon completion of this section, 183 km of high-speed railway in Serbia will be fully opened to traffic, and the journey from Belgrade to Subotica will be reduced to 75 minutes.

A new international freight train route linking Shijiazhuang, capital of North China's Hebei province, with Belgrade, Serbia's capital city, begins operations on March 21, 2024. This marks the first China-Europe Express cargo train from Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to Serbia.

Starting from April 1, the number of direct flights operated by Air China between Athens and Beijing increased from three to five a week. On April 2, Juneyao Airlines launched a new flight from Shanghai to Athens, operating three round-trip flights a week.

On April 10, Airport New City of Xixian New Area of Shaanxi Province signed a strategic cooperation agreement with DPD France, deciding to open an all-cargo airline from Xi’an to Budapest. It is believed that these new measures on expanding connectivity will strengthen our trade and people-to-people connection, injecting new vitality to the cooperation between China and CEECs as well as to the friendship of our peoples.