President Sergio Mattarella has
said he hopes Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Italy will
boost bilateral relations in several areas, including
infrastructure.
The Italian government is expected to sign a memorandum of
agreement for China's Belt and Road Initiative during Xi's
visit.
"(We hope the visit) can lead to agreements, ideas, projects
for the Italian-Chinese partnership to develop further,"
Mattarella told Chinese media after of the visit.
"(Hopefully this will) also benefit cooperation between
Europe and Asia, which needs an increasing volume of sustainable
investment for infrastructure, to ensure a future of prosperity
and peace for all the peoples of the two continents".
The Belt and Road Initiative is a huge infrastructure plan
that seeks to create a sort of modern Silk Road to better
connect China to Europe and Africa.
The United States has expressed reservations about Italy
signing up to the plan.
"Together with its European and international partners, Italy
is committed to dialoguing with Europe to make it possible for
companies on the two sides to operate in a fair way and to
favour access to the respective markets, while protecting, in
particular, the security of the investments and intellectual
property, as well as fundamental standards and principles for
the sustainability of the interventions in social, economic and
environmental terms," Mattarella said.
"The intensification of our economic relations must come
through the creation of a climate that is as open and
transparent as possible".
Xi lands in Rome later on Thursday and is set to stay in
Italy until Saturday as part of a trip that also takes in Monaco
and France.
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