“Collaboration between Rome and Beijing is intense in all sectors”. This is what the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marina Sereni, said, speaking at the Convention entitled “Fifty Years of Relations between Italy and China (1970-2020)”, promoted by the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, attended by the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Italy, LI Junhua.
“This year the pandemic has forced us to down-size the celebrations for this important anniversary of diplomatic ties,” continued Vice Minister Sereni. “But the soundness of any relationship is specifically tested in the midst of difficulty. The tangible mutual support between our Governments and our people, which we saw in the most dramatic times of the health emergency, bear testimony to the capacity our collaboration has to deal with the most difficult of trials. At the same time, this collaboration is and will be fundamental for relaunching the global economy. We have the opportunity to work together to build a more balanced and sustainable economy, at an environmental level as well. The COP26 Climate Change Conference co-chaired by Italy, and COP15 in Kunming on Biodiversity presided over by China, planned for 2021, are important occasions for a joint effort by our Countries”.
“With China,” the Vice Minister continued, “we will continue to work on both a bilateral level and in the widest possible context of the Sino-European partnership, to develop dialogue and collaboration based on all matters that affect our interests and our values. One example of this is the open and frank dialogue we are engaged in with Beijing on the Hong Kong situation. We believe that safeguarding the system of basic rights and liberties, contained in the “One Country, Two Systems” principle, must continue to pave the way to the stability, prosperity, and autonomy of this Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. I therefore hope that this 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our two Countries, will be a decisive moment, stimulating us to go further and further extend bilateral dialogue and cooperation”.
“In these years this cooperation has made it possible to increase valuable interactions between experts, researchers, and student communities, which have not only led to an exchange of experiences and knowledge, but have also laid the foundation for a more profound mutual understanding. This pandemic has forced us to postpone the Italy-China Year of Culture and Tourism. We will celebrate this more fully in 2022,” concluded Vice Minister Sereni, “as a symbol of the return of flows of cultural tourism between our Countries, which is essential for reinstating the bonds of mutual knowledge, and for supporting the revival of the economy”.
