ROME, March 20 (Xinhua) -- An upcoming state visit to Italy by President Xi Jinping will open up a new chapter in Sino-Italian relations, Chinese Ambassador to Italy Li Ruiyu has said. Xi's visit, starting Thursday, will be the first of its kind in a decade, Li said in a recent interview with Xinhua, noting that bilateral relations have been on the fast track since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1970, and especially since they forged a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2004.
President Xi Jinping welcomes Italian President Sergio Mattarella during a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Feb 22, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua] Belt, Road high on agenda on president's first stop in his 3-country European trip China stands ready to work with Italy on the Belt and Road Initiative by strengthening its alignment with the European country's development strategies to bring bilateral ties to a new level, President Xi Jinping said.
ROME, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Tuesday that r cooperation with China within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is in line with Italy's national interests. "Our economic and trade focus (on the BRI) and on China is fully legitimate and justified in light of our national interests," Conte told lawmakers ahead of a European Union (EU) summit on March 21-22, whose agenda includes discussions on cooperation with China.
BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming visits to Italy, Monaco and France are expected to inject new impetus into China-EU relations, a senior official said Wednesday. The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that Xi would pay state visits to the three European countries from March 21 to 26, at the invitation of Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Head of State of the Principality of Monaco Albert II and French President Emmanuel Macron.
