China would like to work with Hungary to advance diplomatic ties, Vice President Xi Jinping said in Beijing on Thursday.

"We attach great importance to the relations with Hungary," Xi told Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Balazs, hoping that the two countries would take the opportunity of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties to bring bilateral relations to a new level.

Hungary was one of the first countries to forge diplomatic ties with China on Oct. 6, 1949.

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi spoke highly of the sound development of China-Hungary relations during his talks with Balazs on earlier Thursday.

The two nations maintained high-level exchanges and made fruitful cooperation in the fields of aviation, agriculture, environmental protection, economy and trade as well as culture and education, said Yang.

Yang said China and Hungary supported each other in international organizations and their foreign ministries kept close cooperation.

Balazs said his government valued the ties with China and that Hungary would continue to support the one-China policy, and expand pragmatic cooperation with China in various sectors, Balazs said.

He said that as a member of the European Union (EU), Hungary would make active efforts to promote the development of EU-China relations.

Balazs is paying a working visit to China from July 2 to 5 at the invitation of Yang.

(Xinhua News Agency July 3, 2009)