China and Hungary hail ‘all-weather’ partnership as Xi Jinping gets red carpet treatment in Budapest

China and Hungary announced an upgrade in their bilateral relationship to an “all-weather” comprehensive strategic partnership on May 9, 2024. It came during Xi Jinping’s first state visit to the central European country, having met Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during the Chinese president’s final stop on a closely watched trip to Europe. The new designation brings diplomatic ties with Budapest to the same rank of nations as those Beijing trusts most, including Belarus, Pakistan and Venezuela.