Chinese-Hungarian Friendship awards presented in Budapest

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto (2nd L) and Chinese Ambassador to Hungary Duan Jielong (4th R) attend a ceremony of Chinese-Hungarian Friendship awards in Budapest, Hungary on Nov 10, 2016. The annual Chinese-Hungarian Friendship awards were presented in a ceremony at Budapest's Chinese-Hungarian Bilingual Primary and Secondary School on Thursday. [Photo/Xinhua]

BUDAPEST - The annual Chinese-Hungarian Friendship awards were presented in a ceremony at Budapest's Chinese-Hungarian Bilingual Primary and Secondary School on Thursday.

The ceremony was held with the presence of Chinese Ambassador to Hungary Duan Jielong and Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto.

This year's winners were Yan Jianshu, general manager of Air China's Hungarian arm, and five Hungarian wineries: the Fritz Winery, the Wunderlich Winery, the Meszaros Winery, the Korona Winery and the Takler Winery.

Yan and representatives from the wineries received the awards from Szijjarto, Duan, and MP Lajos Olah who heads the Great Wall Hungarian-Chinese Friendship Association.

Szijjarto said that with the assistance of Yan Jianshu, Air China opened Budapest-Beijing direct flights in May last year, and the number of visitors from China increased by 40 percent in the past year.

In the first eight months of this year, more than 108,000 Chinese tourists visited Hungary, he added.

Szijjarto said that wine is one of the most famous Hungarian products. In the first eight months this year, Hungarian wine exports to China rose by 37 percent to $2.5 million, he added.

Yan voiced her thanks, saying that Beijing-Budapest direct flights set up an air bridge for the Chinese-Hungarian friendship, and have facilitated business and tourism. Air China will strive to provide safer and more quality services in the future, she added.

The awards were established by the Great Wall Hungarian-Chinese Friendship Association and 11 other organizations.

They are granted to persons or organizations who have done an outstanding job of boosting the ties between Hungary and China.