Chinese President could visit Budapest within weeks

The Chinese head of state will pay a two-day visit to France on 5 May, followed by a visit to Serbia. After Belgrade, his next stop could be to Budapest.

Xi Jinping last visited Hungary in 2009, as Vice President, when he was received by the late President László Sólyom and Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has already met the current Chinese President on several occasions, most recently in Beijing last October.

Several major Chinese investments are currently underway in Hungary, including the construction of the CATL battery factory in Debrecen, the BYD electric car factory in Szeged, and the Budapest-Belgrade railway line.

In February this year, the Chinese Minister of Public Security, Wang Xiaohong, visited Hungary in what was possibly the preparation for Xi Jinping's trip.

Official confirmation of the visit has not yet been received.

Cover photo: In this picture released by the Press Office of the Prime Minister, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is received by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on 17 October 2023. MTI/Press Office of the Prime Minister/Zoltán Fischer