Italian experts voice great expectations from Meloni's China visit

ROME, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's five-day visit to China is expected to open new chapters in the country's relations with Italy, Maria Rosa Azzolina, president of the Italy-China Institute said in an interview with Xinhua on Wednesday.

BOOST STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP, FUEL TRADE, INVESTMENT

"This trip will contribute to the joint efforts to solve global problems, including environmental issues and terrible regional conflicts," Azzolina said, adding that such an outcome would benefit the whole world.

"These global problems can only be solved through cooperation between the West and China," she said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, during his meeting with Meloni, told her that the time-honored friendly exchanges between the two countries have made significant contributions to the overall exchanges and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations, and to the progress of humanity.

According to Fan Xianwei, secretary-general of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Italy, Meloni's visit to China will help boost the opportunities for Sino-Italian economic cooperation.

"Meloni is a pragmatic politician, and both China and Italy can tolerate each other's differences and respect their respective paths of development from a broad perspective of history and civilization," Fan told Xinhua.

"Chinese enterprises expect Meloni's visit to deepen the Sino-Italian Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and to create a fair business and investment environment to attract more Chinese enterprises to invest in Italy," Fan said.

Meloni's visit also came as China and Italy celebrate the 20th anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership this year. Italy signed multiple bilateral cooperative agreements with China during Meloni's first official visit to the country since taking office. The two sides also issued a 2024-2027 action plan to strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership.

Xi said China is willing to work with Italy to optimize and upgrade traditional cooperation in trade and investment, manufacturing, technological innovation and other fields, and to explore cooperation in emerging areas such as electric vehicles and artificial intelligence.

Meloni noted that Italy hopes to deepen bilateral cooperation in such fields as trade, investment, electric vehicles and artificial intelligence, strengthen people-to-people exchanges, and encourage more Italian products to enter the Chinese market.

CONSOLIDATE CULTURAL RELATIONSHIP

As the curator of the Asian Art Museum in Turin, Italy, Davide Quadrio focuses on fostering cultural exchanges between these two ancient civilizations, including in education.

"Recently, my museum has been seeking a partnership with the city of Chengdu and various Chinese public entities that are running higher education programs, and I am confident that Meloni's visit to China will tangibly enhance the level of cultural exchange and cooperation between the two countries," Quadrio said.

Meloni's visit coincides with the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's death. During her stay in Beijing, Meloni attended the inauguration of an exhibition featuring the Venetian merchant's journeys between the East and the West. In her speech, the Italian leader highlighted Marco Polo as a symbol of courage and ability to dare something extraordinary.

Alessandra Lavagnino, director from the Italian side of the Confucius Institute at the University of Milan, expects Meloni's trip to help raise interest in learning Chinese and getting to know the Chinese culture in Italy.

"I am convinced that this visit will consolidate the cultural relationship between the two sides because the way is now open for the bilateral exchange of more talents -- young translators, scholars, and writers from both countries, who will build a stronger basis for a constructive dialogue and more effective cooperation."

Jean Paul de Jorio, chief legal officer of the Italian National Biodiversity Future Center, praised the cooperative path the two countries have taken.

"Italian-Chinese relations will surely improve as a result of this trip. What unites our two countries is much more than what divides them," he said.