On the eve of his visit to Italy, Chinese President Xi Jinping wrote in Corriere della Sera newspaper saying that the country is ready to strengthen a “global strategic partnership”. Xi added that “with my visit I wish to set out together with Italian leaders the guidelines for bilateral relations and take them into a new era.” Additional, China like to coordinate more closely with Italy in multilateral organizations like UN, WTO and GD20. And both countries could develop joint projects in ports, shipping, telecoms and pharmaceuticals.
Separately, Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi said “it is hard to avoid misunderstandings occurring during the process of advancing the construction of the Belt and Road. But he emphasized that “facts are the best proof”. Italy is set to send a high-level delegation to the second Belt and Road summit in Beijing next month. And they would be the first G7 nation to join the initiative, which could upset the US and alert EU.
