China and Hungary stressed the importance of bilateral relations and agreed to further strengthen their partnership in order to promote exchanges and cooperation in various areas on Wednesday, December 6.

During a meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan Wednesday, Hungarian President Ferenc Madl said China is an important factor in the current international affairs.

China is an especially important cooperation partner of Hungary in terms of not only bilateral relations but also global political activities, he added.

Madl noted that Sino-Hungarian relations have been developing very well with frequent exchanges of visits of high-ranking officials.

He expressed his belief that Tang's visit will help achieve better development of bilateral relations.

Tang, who arrived in Budapest Wednesday for a two-day visit, said that Hungary is a key partner of China and that the Chinese government attaches great importance to developing its relations with Hungary.

Tang said China is always ready to work together with Hungary to promote their bilateral relations in order to achieve more fruitful results in various fields of cooperation.

Tang also held talks with his Hungarian counterpart Martonyi Janos, during which Janos reviewed the development of Sino-Hungarian relations in the past 50 years.

Both ministers shared the view that bilateral ties have been developing positively, with Janos saying that Hungary hopes to establish constructive and cooperative ties with China.

After the meeting, they signed an official joint statement, which Tang said will help establish a legal framework and guiding principles for developing bilateral relations under new circumstances.

Hailing the statement as of great significance, Janos noted that it will turn a new page in China-Hungary ties and bring them to a new stage.

Janos reaffirmed that Hungary supports the "one China" principle adopted by the Chinese government and will not develop any official contacts with Taiwan.

Hungary is the third leg of Tang's four-nation European tour which has already taken him to Yugoslavia and Albania. After his stay in Hungary, Tang will travel on to Poland.

(People's Daily 12/07/2000)