Full text of Xi's signed article on Italian newspaper
A signed
article by Chinese President Xi Jinping titled "East Meets West — A New
Chapter of Sino-Italian Friendship" was published Wednesday on Italian
newspaper Corriere della Sera ahead of his state visit to the European country.
An
English version of the full text of the article is as follows:
East
Meets West
— A New
Chapter of Sino-Italian Friendship
Xi
Jinping
President
of the People’s Republic of China
It is a
great pleasure for me to pay a state visit to the Italian Republic at the
invitation of President Sergio Mattarella in this blossoming season of spring.
In 2011, I visited Rome on celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Italian
unification and, in 2016, I had a stopover on Sardinia. I was deeply impressed
by the way of life and industrial outlook of Italy that blend together the
ancient and the modern, the classic and the novel. Now that I am about to set
foot again on this beautiful country, it feels like I am to be among old
friends and get immersed in their wonderful hospitality.
China
and Italy are both stellar examples of Eastern and Western civilizations, and
both have written splendid chapters in the history of human progress. Being the
birthplace of ancient Roman civilization and the cradle of the Renaissance,
Italy is known to the Chinese people for its imposing relic sites and masterpieces
of great names in art and literature. Friendly ties between our two great
civilizations go back a long way. As early as over 2,000 years ago, China and
ancient Rome, though thousands of miles apart, were already connected by the
Silk Road. During the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220), Chinese emissary Gan
Ying was sent to search for “Da Qin”, the Chinese name of the Roman Empire at
the time. Roman poet Virgil and geographer Pomponius Mela made many references
to Seres, the land of silk. The famous explorer Marco Polo’s Travels roused the
first wave of “China fever” among European countries. That pioneer of cultural
exchanges between East and West was followed by a long list of personages in
search of friendship over the centuries.
In our
own era, China-Italy relations, tracing the footsteps of our ancestors, are
brimming with dynamism. The People’s Republic of China and the Italian Republic
established diplomatic relations in 1970. In 2020, the two countries will
celebrate the 50th anniversary of our relations. Through the past decades, our
two countries have enjoyed mutual trust and close cooperation regardless of
changes in the international landscape. Together, we have set a fine example of
mutually beneficial relations between two countries that have different social
system, cultural background and stage of development. The traditional
friendship between us, stronger than ever, has become a strong pillar
supporting the rapid and steady growth of our bilateral ties.
Sino-Italian
friendship is rooted in our long history of exchanges. In the course of over
two millennia, our two countries have embraced the principles of mutual
respect, mutual learning, mutual trust and mutual understanding in our
interactions, principles that underpin our long-lasting, ever-strong
friendship. Confronted by the transformations and challenges of today’s world
and informed by our deep appreciation of history, China and Italy both envision
a new type of international relations that are built on mutual respect,
fairness, justice and win-win cooperation, and a community with a shared future
for all mankind.
Sino-Italian
friendship is embedded in our deep strategic trust. Both countries’ leaderships
approach our relations from a strategic and long-term perspective. Since the
establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2004, our two
countries, guided and driven by high-level exchanges, have given each other
understanding and firm support on issues concerning our respective core
interests and major concerns. Our strategic trust provides a firm underpinning
for the long-term and steady growth of China-Italy relations.
Sino-Italian
friendship is reflected in our multi-faceted cooperation. As key trading and
investment partners for each other, China and Italy have deeply entwined
interests. Two-way trade exceeded US$50 billion in 2018 and investment
surpassed US$20 billion in accumulative terms. “Made in Italy” is a guarantee
of quality, Italian fashion and furniture are immensely popular with Chinese
consumers, and pizza and tiramisu are the love of many young Chinese. Every now
and then, we hear stories about the success of Sino-Italian cooperation in
satellite R&D and manned space exploration. Initiatives such as the
China-Italy science, technology and innovation week, joint police patrols and
football training, to name just a few, are applauded by people in both
countries.
Sino-Italian
friendship is carried forward through our intensive cultural exchanges. Chinese
and Italians have a deep interest in each other’s cultures. A Chinese professor
in his 70s spent 18 years translating Dante’s Divine Comedy, and after revising
several drafts, completed this mammoth task before his final days. From Martino
Martini, author of the first Chinese grammar book in Europe, to Giuliano
Bertuccioli and Federico Masini who wrote Italy and China, many Italian
Sinologists have built bridges between Europe and China and contributed to a
long-running boom of China studies on the Apennine Peninsula.
The
well-known Italian writer Alberto Moravia once wrote, “Friendships are not
chosen by chance, but according to the passions that dominate us.” In a world
that faces profound changes of a kind unseen in a century, the onus is on us to
bring China-Italy relations to a higher level and to jointly safeguard world
peace, stability, development and prosperity. Through my upcoming visit, I hope
to work with Italian leaders to map out the future of our relationship and move
it into a new era.
China
hopes to work with Italy to strengthen our comprehensive strategic partnership.
Our two countries may plan more high-level exchanges and cooperation between
our governments, parliaments, political parties and subnational entities,
strengthen policy communication, enhance strategic trust and synergy, and
continue to give understanding and support to each other on issues of core
interests and major concerns, so as to consolidate the political foundation of
our relations.
China
hopes to work with Italy to advance Belt and Road cooperation. Our two countries
may harness our historical and cultural bonds forged through the ancient Silk
Road as well as our geographical locations to align connectivity cooperation
under the Belt and Road Initiative with Italy’s plan to develop its northern
ports and the InvestItalia program, and jointly build the Belt and Road of the
new era on sea, on land, in the air, in space and in the cultural domain.
China
hopes to work with Italy to expand cooperation into new areas. China will open
up further to the rest of the world, and share its market opportunities with
Italy and other countries through the annual China International Import Expo
and other avenues. Our two countries may fully tap our cooperation potential in
ports, logistics, ship-building, transportation, energy, telecommunications,
medicine and other fields, and encourage our companies to partner with each
other in third markets for win-win cooperation.
China
hopes to work with Italy to promote closer people-to-people ties. As countries
with the largest number of UNESCO world heritage sites, China and Italy have
plenty of cultural and tourism resources. We may encourage our world heritage
sites to forge twinning relationships and our cultural institutions and
individuals to organize premium relic and art exhibitions. We may also
encourage joint production of films and TV programs, the teaching of each
other’s languages, as well as more mutual travel and visits. Through these
exchanges, we will make new contributions to the diversity of civilizations and
mutual learning between different cultures.
China
hopes to strengthen coordination with Italy in international affairs and
multilateral organizations. China is ready to enhance communication and
collaboration with Italy in the United Nations (UN), the G20, Asia-Europe Meeting
and the World Trade Organization (WTO) on global governance, climate change, UN
reform, WTO reform and other major issues. Working together, we will promote
our shared interests, uphold multilateralism and free trade, and safeguard
world peace, stability, development and prosperity.
Looking
back at the last five decades, China-Italy relations have struck deep roots and
borne rich fruits. Looking ahead, China-Italy cooperation will continue to
flourish and prosper. The Chinese people look forward to working hand in hand
with our friends in Italy to carry forward our blossoming relationship and
imbue our friendship with more vitality and dynamism.
Source:People’s Daily
Full text of Xi's signed article on Italian newspaper
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