Peng Liyuan

President Xi Jinping vowed to deepen already flourishing economic ties with Hungary during a visit to Budapest on Thursday, advocating that its closest European Union ally "play a bigger role" in fostering relations between Beijing and the bloc.

The state visit to Hungary is the final leg of Xi's first European tour since 2019 that led him to France and Serbia earlier this week.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Hungary Thursday seeking a "new journey" with Beijing's closest European Union ally amid Beijing's divisions with the West over the Ukraine war and global trade.

The state visit to Hungary is the last leg of Xi's European tour, his first to the continent since 2019.

Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic reaffirmed his strong support for China's sovereignty over Taiwan on Wednesday as he gave a lavish welcome to President Xi Jinping, who is seeking to deepen political and economic ties with friendlier countries in Europe.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday is to host Chinese leader Xi Jinping at one of his beloved childhood haunts in the Pyrenees mountains, seeking to press a message to Beijing not to support Russia's war against Ukraine and to accept fairer trade.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to make a state visit to France on May 6 and 7, Paris announced on Monday, with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East expected to be high on the agenda.

The visit to France, which will be followed by trips to Serbia and Hungary, marks the Chinese leader's first European tour since the coronavirus pandemic.

BELGRADE - Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan have sent a New Year's message to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, a source in the Presidency of Serbia told Tanjug on Thursday.

It is the first New Year's message Vucic has received for 2024.

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged cooperation with the United States on trade and investment on April 6, inviting U.S. President Donald Trump to visit China in a cordial start to their first meeting likely to broach sensitive security and commercial issues.

A US newspaper has published a mockup of what a frontpage might look like should Republican frontrunner Donald Trump win the presidency, as it condemned his "deeply disturbing" and "profoundly un-American" vision.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will make his first state visit to Britain next month, the British government said on Sept. 29, 10 years after the last such visit by a Chinese president.

The news of Xi's Oct 20-23 visit comes a week after British finance minister George Osborne visited China to strengthen economic and financial ties. 

President Barack Obama will offer his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping a full state welcome at the White House on September 25, amid deep and growing tensions between the top economic and political powers.