The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, met the State Councillor and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Wang Yi, today at Farnesina.
Their discussion focused on bilateral agreements and the war in Ukraine.
Following the anniversary of Russia’s first aggression on Ukraine, the Italian Deputy Prime Minister reiterated the need to pressure Russia to favour the conditions for a “just peace”. This can be achieved by supporting diplomacy, adopting effective sanctions, providing humanitarian aid and ensuring justice for the victims. “China is called to play a fundamental role in achieving peace. I have no doubts about Beijing’s readiness to commit at this point”, added Tajani.
Regarding bilateral agreements, the Deputy Prime Minister reaffirmed the possibility of reopening a conversation to relaunch the EU-China relationship, both in the economic and trade sector, and to protect human rights, one of the priorities of Italy’s foreign policy agenda. In addition, the meeting stressed the importance of culture within our bilateral relationship, as proved by the events organised in China during the Italy-China 2022 Year of Culture and Tourism.
The Deputy Prime Minister also underlined with appreciation the 5% increase in exports recorded in 2022 vs the previous year to recall the importance of maintaining a commercial balance with China – the first Italian commercial partner in Asia – and support Italian businesses to access the Chinese market.
Among others, the representatives also discussed the thorny topic of Chinese child adoption by Italian families. In this regard, the Ministries acknowledged the steps done over the last months during the gradual reopening of the borders after mitigating the pandemic. They also reaffirmed their commitment to allow the finalisation of the adoption procedures currently in progress.
In conclusion, the Deputy Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for the fruitful and constant link between China and Italy concerning the UN Security Council Reform and their coordination within the Uniting for Consensus Group, of which China was appointed observer.
