Italian president's visit set to bolster ties, enhance pragmatic cooperation

Intensive, high-level interactions between China and Italy in recent months have underlined the robust growth of bilateral ties, as well as the two nations' efforts to enhance pragmatic cooperation amid trade friction between China and the European Union, observers said as Italian President Sergio Mattarella was set to begin a state visit to China on Thursday.

The six-day visit, which will take Mattarella to Beijing, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, and Guangzhou in Guangdong province, comes less than four months after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's trip to China.

Noting that both China and Italy are ancient civilizations and important economies in the world, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular media briefing on Tuesday that the friendly cooperation between the two countries enjoys profound public support, serves the common interests of both sides, and is conducive to promoting the sound growth of relations between China and the EU and the stability and prosperity of the world.