From November 9th to 12th,the Italian President Sergio Mattarella paid a state visit to China. During his visit, Mattarella met with representatives attending the China-Italy Cultural Cooperation Mechanism Conference and the Dialogue between Chinese and Italian University Presidents in Beijing. He also attended a musical concert featuring the works of Giacomo Puccini, and visited an exhibition of Chinese artifacts returned by Italy at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

During a discussion between Mattarella and the Chinese delegation, it was emphasized that both countries should make joint efforts to establish a world of harmonious coexistence. Additionally, several bilateral cooperation agreements were signed by both sides in areas including culture, science and technology, education, and world heritage sites.

In an interview with GDToday, Francesco Maringiò, President of the Italy-China Association for the Promotion of the Silk Road, stated that President Mattarella's visit to China is a historic one, which embodies the true friendship sentiment from the Italian people towards the Chinese people.

A historic state visit that embodies a symbol of friendship from the people

As Italian President Sergio Mattarella made a state visit to China again after seven years, one might be sharp enough to note that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership. Additionally, he is the second state leader from Italy to visit China this year, as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also visited China back in July.

"In a sense, we can call it a historic visit. This is not an exaggeration," Francesco explained. 

As Francesco analyzes the bilateral relations between the two countries, he notes that after years during which some Italian officials have pursued a line hostile towards China taken by extremists from the EU or the US, President Mattarella's words and actions during this state visit simply demonstrate a clear desire to put the relationship between the two countries on the right track.

"What we see here is a metaphorical but resounding slap in the face of those who, in recent years, have poisoned the wealth of mutual dialogue between Italy and China," he added.

Will Italy re-enter the Belt and Road Initiative soon?

As Mattarella embarked on his four-day visit to China and showed a strong affinity with the country, many might wonder whether Italy will once again participate in the Belt and Road Initiative.

On Mattarella's first state trip to China in 2017, he delivered an important keynote speech at the renowned Fudan University on the topic of 'The New Silk Roads of Knowledge.' He emphasized, "It is necessary for the 'Silk Roads' to expand and for the roads of our understanding, which is never enough, never sufficient, never concluded and completely acquired, to deepen."

According to Francesco, the Italian government's decision to withdraw from the Silk Road has conflicted with the spirit of that approach, especially since it was driven by a faction within the government succumbing to international pressure.

However, in his talks with China, he reiterated the need for "dialogue and cooperation" while expressing concerns about trade wars and potential "temptations of opposing blocs.

Francesco believes that there is currently no clear answer, but there's a possibility, which is exciting. "Although it is not foreseeable, especially with this government, that Italy may return to the Memorandum anytime soon," he explained, "certainly this outward-looking approach by the Head of State gives voice to all those who hope for an increasingly friendly and close relationship with China. The large Italian delegation accompanying the Head of State proves this."

To cultivate more individuals like 'Marco Polo' in the new era

This year also marks the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's passing, the Italian explorer who traveled to China in the 13th century and introduced the country to many Westerners through his book The Travels of Marco Polo. This pioneer of cultural exchanges was a focal point at a series of events during Mattarella's visit. 

"Marco Polo is a great personality who has enabled Italians and Chinese to have special feelings and deep understanding," Francesco said. "He is so well remembered, studied, and revered in China, and this makes him an essential part of our mortal knowledge to celebrate the 700th anniversary."

He perceives Marco Polo's role as that of a brave and adventurous spirit, which still lingers today. His long journey from Italy to the East fully embodied the spirit of dialogue between civilizations, which should guide exchanges between Italy and China .

It is emphasized that the two sides should support language teaching and youth exchanges, and 'collaborate to cultivate more Marco Polos in the new era'.

As China and Italy agree, mutual respect, trust, and win-win cooperation should always be the defining features of China-Italy relations. The two sides should continue to strengthen people-to-people exchanges, implement the new round of cultural cooperation action plans, deepen cooperation in culture and art, protect cultural relics, translate classical works, promote tourism and education, as well as cooperate on cultural heritage sites.

Mattarella's visit to Guangdong for its role as an incubator of innovation

In addition to the cultural exchanges during Mattarella's visit, South China's Guangdong Province has been chosen as part of the itinerary  to showcase China's economic dimension.

During Mattarella's visit to Guangzhou, Guangdong, he and his delegation toured the Chen Clan Academy, Canton Tower and enjoyed the gorgeous cityscape along the Pearl River at night on a cruise. 

He also watched the opera, Macro Polo, which was a classic that eulogized the friendly exchange between Italy and China. He spoke highly about splendid culture the city offers, and how it bears witness to the exchange between East and West.

"Guangdong is where major technology and automotive companies are based, a sector in which Italy is seeking strong partnerships and aiming to attract investment," Francesco said. "I believe this is a way to offer not only culture but also an economic dimension to his visit."

He believes the consideration stems from Italy's domestic background. "Given the serious crisis in the sector in Italy and Europeunfortunately," he added, "I guess that one of the sectors the Italian delegation is paying a lot of attention to is the automotive sector, particularly the production of electric cars."

China is the perfect partner for Italy to deal with the industrial crisis in Europe

China has been Italy's top trade partner in Asia. Over the past 20 years, the China-Italy annual trade volume has increased seven-fold and has exceeded $70 billion for three consecutive years, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Francesco highlighted a promising outlook for bilateral trade between China and Italy. "I would like to stress that in 2023, there was a positive result for Italian exports, which registered a trend of growth of 17.8 percent to 19.2 billion euros," he presented data from the previous year." If we look at the top five exports to China that show growth compared to 2022, we will find that the pharmaceutical, textile and apparel, and machinery sectors fill the places."

He also believes that the current economic interdependence between the two countries stems from their existing complementarity. "We have the priority of safeguarding our manufacturing sector, the second largest in Europe,especially now with the deep industrial crisis in Germany, and we need to develop new cooperation with other manufacturing countries," he said.

He noted that, from this perspective, China is the perfect partner for Italy due to its status as the world's largest manufacturing country and its rapid technological innovation. Italy strongly needs to be connected to this fast-paced innovation.