Hungary, China celebrate growing partnership at Spring Festival reception

February 06, 2026

Abstract : Hungarian and Chinese officials on Thursday highlighted the steady development of bilateral relations at a Spring Festival reception hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Budapest to mark the upcoming Chinese New Year, the Year of the Horse.

Artists perform at a Spring Festival reception hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Budapest, Hungary on Feb. 5, 2026. (Photo by Laszlo Balogh/Xinhua)

BUDAPEST, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian and Chinese officials on Thursday highlighted the steady development of bilateral relations at a Spring Festival reception hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Budapest to mark the upcoming Chinese New Year, the Year of the Horse.

Speaking at the event, Marta Matrai, first officer of the Hungarian National Assembly, said she had personally witnessed the remarkable progress of Hungary-China relations over the past decade.

Matrai recalled that she assumed the chairmanship of the Hungarian-Chinese Friendship Parliamentary Group during the previous Year of the Horse and had held the position for nearly 12 years.

In an interview with Xinhua following the event, Matrai underlined that despite global political uncertainty and rising geopolitical tensions, cooperation between Hungary and China has remained stable and robust, based on mutual respect.

"Hungarians are a people for whom keeping one's word carries great importance, along with mutual respect and appreciation, and I believe these values are also reflected in Hungary's relations with China," she said.

On the economic front, bilateral trade has expanded significantly in recent years and is expected to reach 15 billion U.S. dollars by 2025, making China Hungary's most important trading partner outside Europe, she said.

Cooperation has also broadened from traditional sectors to electric vehicles, clean energy, and other high-tech and green industries, she added.

Addressing the reception, Chinese ambassador to Hungary Gong Tao said the China-Hungary partnership has continued to develop at a high level, marked by close high-level interactions, steady progress in economic and trade cooperation, and increasingly vibrant cultural exchanges.

Referring to the Year of the Horse, the ambassador said that the horse symbolizes "freedom and independence" in Hungarian culture and "vitality and progress" in Chinese tradition, expressing hope that bilateral cooperation would gain fresh momentum in the year ahead.

The evening featured festive cultural performances celebrating the Spring Festival, one of China's most important traditional holidays.