Today, the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, met with the member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of the Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the CCP Central Committee, Chen Wenqing, at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The major bilateral dossiers and regional and international security issues were discussed, such as the war in Ukraine, cooperation in the fight against international arms and drug trafficking, human trafficking especially in sub-Saharan Africa, and piracy for the protection of trade routes in the Indian Ocean.
Deputy Prime Minister Tajani expressed satisfaction with the high-level political exchanges and contacts between Italy and China, as witnessed most recently by his mission to Beijing and the talks in Delhi on the sidelines of the G20 between Italian Prime Minister Meloni and Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang. “We look with great confidence at the relaunch of relations with China, which is an important partner with whom we want to nurture a constructive and mutually beneficial relationship between Italy and China, both heirs to millenary civilisations”, Tajani noted. “Our cooperation is broad and diverse, and can be strengthened by new economic and trade agreements, within the framework of the Strategic Partnership”, continued the Deputy Prime Minister.
In Tajani’s words, “the celebrations for the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo’s death in 2024 will be a favourable opportunity to strengthen and deepen our collaboration”.
Tajani and Chen dwelt on international current affairs, with the head of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recalling “Italy’s efforts in Brussels to promote a positive agenda between the EU and China, with the aim of fostering the development of balanced and mutually beneficial economic relations”. On Ukraine, the Italian Deputy Prime Minister stressed the Italian government’s efforts to create the conditions for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace, and expressed his appreciation for Beijing’s constructive role in the dossier.
