China’s Xi hosts Italian president, seeks ‘stronger boost’ to relations

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - China’s President Xi Jinping Friday hosted Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella, calling for a “stronger boost” to bilateral relations.

Mattarella is on a week-long state visit to China since Thursday.

Xi and Mattarella held talks in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a brief statement on X.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership and the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo’s passing.

Polo was a Venetian merchant, explorer, and writer who travelled through the Asian continent along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295.

“China and Italy, two ancient civilizations, should preserve their tradition of openness and inclusiveness and uphold the Silk Road spirit as they work to take their relationship to a new stage and give it a stronger boost, with a view to a better world of harmonious coexistence,” Xi told the Italian president.

This is the second high-level trip to China by any Italian leader this year after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Beijing in July where she held talks with Xi, as well as Premier Li Qiang and other Chinese leaders. Xi’s meeting with Meloni was the first in-person meeting between the two since Rome exited the Beijing-funded multi-trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative last year.

In 2019, Italy became the only member of the Group of Seven nations to join China's Belt and Road Initiative but exited the global infrastructure development project last year.

The trade volume between the two nations climbed to around $80 billion last year.