Hungarian soldiers on horseback joined President Tamas Sulyok to give Chinese President Xi Jinping a warm welcome in the grounds of Budapest's spectacular Buda Castle on Thursday on the third and final stop on Xi's first European tour in five years.
Hungary under right-leaning Prime Minister Viktor Orban has become an important trade and investment partner for China, in contrast with some other EU nations that are considering becoming less dependent on the world's second-largest economy.
Xi arrived in Budapest late on Wednesday after visiting France and Serbia.
In Paris, President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen pressed him to ensure more balanced trade with Europe and use his influence on Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
Xi has "developed deep friendships" with Hungarian politicians and Hungary was "the number one target in the central eastern European region for Chinese investment", Xi wrote in pro-government daily Magyar Nemzet on Wednesday.
Xi is scheduled to meet Orban later in the day, with the war in Ukraine and infrastructure projects high on the agenda.
A press statement is expected at 15:30 GMT.
Hungary and China, which mark their 75th year of diplomatic relations, are also expected to sign 16 to 18 new cooperation agreements, one of which could be a large-scale infrastructure project within China's huge Belt and Road project, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said this week.
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