BUDAPEST, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's rapidly developing digital economy is opening up market opportunities for Hungarian technology companies, a Hungarian trade official has said.

Companies from the two countries could leverage their complementary technological strengths to deepen cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), smart manufacturing and digital healthcare, Gabor Peter Artner, deputy chief executive officer of the Hungarian Export Promotion Agency (HEPA), told Xinhua in a written interview.

For the first time as a guest country of honor, Hungary will participate in the fifth edition of the Global Digital Trade Expo (GDTE), scheduled for Sept. 23-27 in Hangzhou, China, under the theme "Meet the AI Future at GDTE."

Hungary regards the expo as a high-level platform to showcase its capabilities in digital technology and innovation, according to the HEPA official.

At the expo, Hungary's 240-square-meter national pavilion features 11 companies and the Hungarian Innovation Agency, Artner said, noting it will showcase commercially relevant solutions in digital technologies, engineering, healthcare, agricultural technology and other specialized sectors.

"The message we want to convey is that Hungarian companies can contribute distinctive know-how, applied innovation and export-ready solutions to international value chains," he said.

Artner highlighted Hungary's strengths in combining engineering expertise with specialized digital technologies, including AI, industrial digitalization, smart-city systems, robotics integration and semiconductor measurement technologies.

The increasing adoption of Chinese AI technologies "across most sectors of the economy is creating a broader market for complementary technologies and related services," he said.

He believes Chinese robotics hardware could be combined with Hungarian software development and system-integration expertise to create value-added solutions rather than simply distributing products. Similar cooperation models could also be applied to smart manufacturing and digital healthcare.

Artner said the overall trend of the Hungarian companies' presence in China is increasingly positive, adding that HEPA helps companies entering China address challenges through market information, partner searches and direct introductions.

During the Hangzhou expo, the Hungarian delegation will host a Hungary-China Business Cooperation Seminar on Sept. 25, bringing together 60 to 100 participants for presentations and business matchmaking.

Artner expressed hope that the expo will generate new business contacts and substantive discussions, paving the way for follow-up negotiations and sustainable business partnerships between Hungarian and Chinese companies.