BEIJING - State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday that with joint efforts of China and Hungary, vaccine cooperation will definitely become an upgraded version of anti-COVID-19 cooperation between the two countries.

Wang made the remarks during a phone conversation with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto.

Wang said he is glad to know that Hungary has approved import of a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine, adding that China attaches great importance to Hungary's urgent desire to strengthen vaccine cooperation with China.

Hungary's approval of the Chinese vaccine demonstrates its recognition of and trust in the safety and effectiveness of the Chinese vaccine, and attests to the fine tradition of the two countries helping each other in times of difficulty, he said.

China will, based on China-Hungary comprehensive strategic partnership, facilitate Chinese enterprises' export of the first batch of vaccines to Hungary, he added.

Overcoming the impact of the pandemic, mutual beneficial cooperation between China and Hungary has maintained a sound momentum, Wang said.

According to the Chinese foreign minister, in 2020, the volume of bilateral trade achieved a hard-won growth of more than 14 percent year-on-year, and at the third China International Import Expo last year, among all Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC), the volume of transactions Hungary reached with China was the highest.

Wang said China will, as always, support bilateral cooperation in various fields, and is pleased to see more Chinese enterprises invest and develop businesses in Hungary.

China also hopes that Hungary will continue playing a constructive role in pushing forward China-CEEC cooperation and relations between China and the European Union (EU), he said.

For his part, Szijjarto said Hungary attaches great importance to developing its relations with China.

The country is ready to deepen practical cooperation with China in various fields, and play an active role in China-CEEC cooperation and EU-China relations, he said.

Hungary thanks China for its strong support in vaccine cooperation, and hopes that China will speed up the approval process to facilitate Hungary's purchase of vaccines in China, Szijjarto noted.

He said the Chinese vaccines will help Hungary save more lives and accelerate the resumption of work and production as well as economic recovery.