Premier Li Keqiang received a gift - a newly finished Hungarian-Chinese dictionary - from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Nov 28.

Upon receiving the dictionary, he extended greetings to the journalists present with newly learned Hungarian.

One day before, the Premier also received a Latvian-Chinese dictionary from his Latvian counterpart, Maris Kucinskis.

The coincidence emphasized the fever for language learning that has been ignited in countries in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region and China, along with their deepened 16+1 cooperation. 　

“Learning Chinese” was a hot topic during the sixth meeting of heads of government of China and CEEC, especially during Premier Li’s meeting with Hungarian Parliament Speaker Laszlo Kover, who said he regards “learning Chinese” as a valuable experience for the younger generation in Hungary. He also said he expects the establishment of a university there providing professional Chinese courses.

On the other hand, languages of CEE countries (CEEC) are gaining popularity in China. Within half a decade, the number of students who chose to specialize in majors related to CEE language learning has doubled and redoubled. In the meantime, an increasing number of colleges and universities opened courses on CEE language learning.

“Language is key to communication, which is crucial for strengthening people to people exchanges between China and the CEEC,” Premier Li commented after receiving the Hungarian-Chinese dictionary.