Italy is now reopening the dialogue with China after deciding to withdraw from the Belt and Road Initiative. At the same time, Italian Prime Minister Meloni is also preparing for a trip to Beijing.
According to Ansa News Agency, Italy's "La Repubblica" and Askanews, yesterday (11th), Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tajani attended the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's death with Wang Wentao, the visiting Chinese Minister of Commerce, in Venice, and co-chaired the 15th meeting of the Sino-Italian Economic Cooperation Mixed Committee in Verona.
"We hope that Italy and China will embark on a new phase in the development of their relations and strengthen them on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Italian-Chinese comprehensive strategic partnership and the 700th anniversary of the death of Marco Polo," said Tajani. ”
Tajani social platform
Italian media said that this is the first high-level dialogue between the two countries after Tajani's visit to Beijing last year and Italy's withdrawal from the "Belt and Road" project. The Italian government seeks to enter a "new phase" in its relations with China, and at a time of international tensions, the Italian-Chinese Economic Cooperation Commission is of particular importance.
The Italian-Chinese Economic Cooperation Commission is the main platform for cooperation between Italy and China in the economic and trade fields, and is regarded as one of the dialogue mechanisms for the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries in 2004.
At a press conference after the meeting, Tajani stressed the importance of relations with China. "40 percent of Italy's GDP comes from exports," he said. Therefore, we are determined to ensure that our ships can continue to travel to China through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, and we can work together for peace. ”
"China is a world power, its words have a significant impact on achieving the détente we desire, dialogue is fundamental, and today's meeting shows that we can have dialogue and build together if we want to," Tajani said. ”
Tajani social platform
This morning (12th), Tajani and Wang Wentao attended the opening ceremony of the "Italy-China Business Dialogue Forum" in Verona.
The forum aims to promote dialogue and cooperation in key areas of economic and trade, such as agro-industry, e-commerce, investment, pharmaceuticals and biomedicine. Representatives of about 50 Chinese companies participated in the forum, including battery maker CATL, electric vehicle companies NIO and Xpeng, e-commerce giants Alibaba and JD.com, and communications equipment giants Huawei and ZTE, according to the report.
Tajani promised that regular project exchange meetings will be held annually between Italian and Chinese SMEs and that a situation analysis will be carried out every six months. He reiterated the need to "strengthen dialogue between the two countries, which have strong commercial capabilities."
Italian media said that despite the current geo-economic tensions, Italian Foreign Minister Tajani firmly believes that Italy and Italian companies can still seize opportunities in China.
For example, by increasing exports from industries such as agri-food or pharmaceuticals to improve the trade balance. At the same time, Chinese investment in Italy will also increase, but apparently in non-security strategic areas.
Tajani social platform
During the meeting, Wang Wentao said that the pioneer spirit of Marco Polo should be passed on from generation to generation.
Tajani also said that a new "path of explorers" should be opened like Marco Polo, and that the routes of communication, exchange and trade between the two countries must be reopened and accelerated.
An article in the Italian newspaper "Courier" said that the meeting also paved the way for Italian Prime Minister Meloni's visit to Beijing. In fact, Meloni initially planned to visit China at the end of last year, but it was postponed. The Italian Prime Minister's Office is now working to make the visit possible between October and December this year. And Italian President Sergio Mattarella will be the first to visit. According to the article, this proves that Italy still sees its trade relationship with China as strategic, despite its withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative.
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