（Photo by Liu Daming/MOSTIC）

On September 26, 2018, Zhang Jianguo, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and Administrator of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, met with Mate Imre PESTI, Hungarian Ambassador to China and his delegation. The two sides exchanged views on promoting China-Hungary cooperation in science, technology and innovation (STI).

Vice Minister Zhang Jianguo firstly welcomed Ambassador Mate Imre PESTI on his visit and said that the Chinese government attaches great importance to STI and implementation of the Innovation-driven Development Strategy. Vice Minister Zhang Jianguo said that Hungary is an innovative country with strength in such fields as nuclear physics, brain science, and medicine. Zhang believed China and Hungary have great potential for cooperation in STI and expressed willingness to strengthen cooperation with Hungary under the Belt and Road Science, Technology and Innovation Action Plan and the China-Central and Eastern European Countries Partnership Program for Science, Technology and Innovation. He hoped that under the guidance of the China-Hungary Committee on Intergovernmental Cooperation in Science and Technology, the two sides could strengthen dialogue and top-level design, promote personnel exchanges and cooperation in joint R&D projects, build joint research centers, joint laboratories and other long-term cooperation platforms, encourage exchanges between young researchers of the two countries, and make due contributions to the economic and social progress of both countries。

Ambassador Mate Imre PESTI thanked Vice Minister Zhang Jianguo and said that the new Hungarian government taking office this year would continue to adhere to the policy of“Opening to the East”and attach great importance to relations with China. He noted that Hungary was the first European country that signed the Belt and Road cooperation document with China and also plays an active role in the “16+1” cooperation framework. Ambassador PESTI expressed the hope to strengthen STI cooperation with China in the future.

Deputy Director General Chen Linhao of the Department of International Cooperation of MOST attended the meeting.