Premier Li meets Hungarian leader

Premier Li Keqiang and Hungary's leader have reached a "broad consensus" on issues that include a railway upgrade project.

Li and Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban will issue a joint communique and sign cooperation agreements on science, tourism, pharmaceutical industry and finance in Beijing on Feb 12.

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The meeting is expected to boost bilateral ties. China and Hungary will mark their 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year.

Orban is the first foreign leader to visit China since Chinese New Year, signaling the longstanding friendship between the two countries, Li said during a talk with Orban.

The two leaders have met twice in the past two years.

They met in November at the economic and trade forum of China and the Central and Eastern European countries, held in Bucharest.

At the summit, China, Hungary and Serbia agreed on the Budapest-Belgrade rail upgrade. China and Hungary also made plans for Budapest to become a regional hub for Chinese trade in Central and Eastern Europe.

At a recent meeting of the Chinese-Hungarian Joint Economic Committee in Beijing, Budapest and Beijing discussed railway development and the relaunching of direct flights between the two countries.

Earlier on Feb 12, Orban met the head of the Bank of China and attended an economic forum at the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade headquarters.

He is also scheduled to address the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and visit the Hungarian Cultural Institute in Beijing on Feb 13. Orban will then meet with President Xi Jinping.

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