Xi's visit to solidify robust ties

Xi's trip to Serbia and Hungary, two of China's long-standing partners in Europe, has also been eagerly anticipated by leaders of both countries.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic expressed high expectations for the trip during a recent interview. "Personally, I am very jubilant to see and to host President Xi. He is a great leader and a great friend of Serbia, and we consider ourselves as a great friend of China as well," he said.

"We have a lot of common denominators in our cooperation and collaboration, and we will carry on with that," Vucic added.

The ironclad ties between China and Serbia are underpinned by robust economic and trade relations — bilateral trade volume between China and Serbia has increased eightfold over the past decade, and China has maintained its position as Serbia's second-largest trading partner for several years.

Feng, the Institute of European Studies director, said there is immense potential to build up people-to-people ties between China and Serbia, with both nations sharing a strong sense of cultural affinity toward each other.

Peter Szijjarto, Hungary's minister of foreign affairs and trade, said in a recent interview with China Central Television that it is a "great honor" for his country to host the Chinese president on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Beijing and Budapest.

"Our expectation is that we (are) entering a new chapter in this relationship through this visit," he said, adding that the Hungarian government has already proposed joint infrastructure projects with China under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Hungary has become one of the top destinations for Chinese electric vehicle makers and EV suppliers, with BYD, Nio, CATL and Eve Energy already making major investments in the country.

Feng said that for China, "building up ties with Hungary, an EU member, will help clear up misunderstandings of Brussels and strengthen mutual trust with other EU members".

For Hungary, the enhancing of cooperation with China has already proved rewarding and will help the nation continue to energize its economic growth and enhance job creation, he added.