- African players in Europe: Superb Kudus goal in vain as City take title
- Pope to visit Belgium, Luxembourg in September
- Gold hits high as Iran shock triggers haven support
- Strikes pound Gaza as Israel voices 'duty' to expand Rafah incursion
- Russia tries playwright and director on terror charges
- Iran mourns president Raisi's death in helicopter crash
- Attack on tourists rocks fledgling Afghanistan tourism sector
- Paralympics should put disability back on global agenda, says IPC chief
- South Africa's top court strikes Zuma from ballot
- Crunch time looms for BHP's bid buy Anglo American
- Kane to face old club Spurs for first time in Seoul
- Markets rise as traders cheered by China property plan
- Black farmers in Brazil changing views on coffee production
- Iran's President Raisi declared dead in helicopter crash
- Australia police arrest 554 in domestic violence crackdown
- South Korea, Britain host AI summit with safety top of agenda
- New president Lai vows to defend Taiwan's democracy
- Forever fad: Rubik says his cube 'reminds us why we have hands'
- Trump eyes witness stand as trial draws to a close
- Ryanair annual profit jumps on higher demand, fares
- High-priced Cummins, Starc face off as IPL enters playoffs
- Iran media says President Raisi died in helicopter crash
- Dominican Republic President Abinader re-elected to 2nd term
- New Taiwan president Lai hails 'glorious' democracy
- New Caledonia separatists defy French efforts to unblock roads
- Timberwolves knock out defending champion Nuggets, Pacers oust Knicks
- Trump biopic hits Cannes Film Festival
- Iran President Raisi's helicopter found, 'no sign of life'
- Three talking points ahead of 2024 French Open
- 'Haikyu!!': Comic heroes fuel Japan Olympic volleyball manga mania
- Timberwolves rally to knock defending champion Nuggets out of NBA playoffs
- London court set to rule on Julian Assange extradition
- Business and Bollywood votes in India election
- Pope calls anti-migrant attitudes at US border 'madness'
- Mexico aims to be big economic winner from US-China tensions
- Uncertain future for thousands after deadly Brazil floods
- Schauffele makes the putt of his life for first major win
- Wirtz returns to help unbeaten Leverkusen chase history
- Search for Iran's President Raisi after helicopter goes missing
- DeChambeau's powerful putting has him excited for US Open
- Taiwan to swear in new president as China pressure grows
- Atalanta can end 61-year wait for trophy in Europa League final
- Schauffele birdies final hole to capture PGA for first major win
- Guardiola casts doubt over long-term Man City future
- Hollywood icons Costner and Demi Moore make Cannes comeback
- Pacers shoot down Knicks to reach NBA Eastern Conference finals
- Schauffele birdies final hole, captures first major at PGA Championship
- McLaughlin powers to Indy 500 pole in all-Penske front row
- Monaco footballer tapes over LGBTQ badge
- Korda wins sixth LPGA title of year with win at Liberty National
China's Xi in Hungary celebrates 'history's best' relations with Orban
President Xi Jinping vowed to deepen already flourishing economic ties with Hungary during a visit to Budapest on Thursday, advocating that its closest European Union ally "play a bigger role" in fostering relations between Beijing and the bloc.
The state visit to Hungary is the final leg of Xi's first European tour since 2019 that led him to France and Serbia earlier this week.
Following a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Thursday afternoon, Xi said Beijing placed "great importance" on its relations with the EU.
The Chinese leader also called on Hungary, which takes over the bloc's rotating presidency in the second half of the year, to "play a bigger role in the EU and push for new and greater development of China-EU relations".
Amid divisions with the West over the Ukraine war and global trade, both leaders stressed their shared views and demonstrated their close ties, announcing that 18 bilateral agreements had been signed.
Budapest was decked out with Chinese flags for the state visit and placed under tight security. The few flags held up by Tibetan demonstrators were hidden from Xi's sight.
- 18 agreements -
Earlier on Thursday, Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan were received with military honours by Hungary's President Tamas Sulyok in the lavish courtyard of Budapest's presidential palace.
According to a statement issued after the meeting, Xi said that the bilateral "relationship is now at its best in history".
Frequently at loggerheads with Brussels, Orban has pursued an eastwards foreign policy since his return to power in 2010, seeking closer economic ties with Russia, China and other Asian countries.
The nationalist premier remained committed to his strategy even as tensions between Western nations and Beijing have increased over human rights, the Covid pandemic, trade and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Xi's three-day visit to Hungary after passing through Paris -- the only other EU capital on the itinerary -- "shows Hungary's growing importance in global politics," Orban's chief of staff Gergely Gulyas told a government briefing on Thursday.
Several new projects were announced on Thursday, including the construction of rail infrastructure, an oil pipeline between Hungary and Serbia, and cooperation in the nuclear sector.
Since Hungary began to promote itself as a global hub for electric car manufacturing in 2022, battery and car factories have sprung up all over the country, with investments of tens of billions of euros.
While the government says Hungary is benefiting from its partnership with China, opposition parties have raised concerns over a lack of transparency, the environmental impact of battery factories and corruption.
- 'Lone voice in Europe' -
The Chinese leader kicked off his tour in France, a visit that was cordial but also highlighted tensions between Beijing and the EU over the Ukraine war and global trade.
While French President Emmanuel Macron pressed Beijing not to support Russia's war against Ukraine and to accept fairer trade, Hungary provided "a friendlier destination for Xi", said political scientist Ja Ian Chong of the University of Singapore.
In Hungary, a country with close ties to Moscow and Beijing, Xi was able to "avoid tough conversations and awkward questions", he added.
Both countries have called for a peaceful settlement of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Orban on Thursday thanked China for its efforts "to promote peace and prosperity in the region", describing Hungary as "a lone voice in Europe".
"Hungary provides a diplomatic win for Xi, showing his warm ties with an EU member state that will still roll out the red carpet for Chinese investment," said Xiaoxue Martin, a researcher at the Clingendael China Centre.
On the streets of Budapest, many tourists were astonished by the heavy security, with police blocking access to sites.
"The Prince of China is here," smiled an Israeli tourist, who was disappointed not to be able to take the funicular up to Buda Castle.
Norbert, a 23-year-old Budapest resident who did not want to give his full name, railed against the ties forged with "an oppressive power that invests in its own interests".
burs-kym/gv
M.Ouellet--BTB