On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Italy, on July 28, 2024, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council of the People's Republic of China and Prime Minister Meloni of the Italy Republic of China held talks in Beijing. The two sides agreed that China-Italy relations have achieved important results in recent years and maintained positive momentum of development, including the successful meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Meloni on the sidelines of the G20 Bali Summit in 2022 and the successful meeting between the two prime ministers on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi in 2023.
China and Italy are willing to uphold the spirit of the time-honored Silk Road and maintain the momentum of bilateral relations. The Silk Road, which has been inherited for thousands of years, originated from ancient trade routes, demonstrating the open dialogue and mutual understanding between Eastern and Western civilizations. The two sides are willing to promote the development of bilateral relations to a higher level and promote peace and cooperation. Against this background, the two sides reaffirmed their willingness to strengthen mutual trust and maintain high-level exchanges on the basis of respecting each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The two sides are willing to hold the annual summit of the two prime ministers in a flexible format to implement this action plan, strengthen the synergy of their respective development strategies, deepen cooperation in various fields, strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and fully unleash the potential of the comprehensive strategic partnership.
The two sides expressed their appreciation for the 24th China-EU Summit held on 7 December 2023, which provided a good opportunity to enhance mutual trust, strengthen bilateral cooperation and strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation, and further enhance the stability, constructiveness, reciprocity and global nature of China-EU relations. The two sides are ready to continue to advance and deepen high-level dialogue between China and the EU in the areas of strategy, economy and trade, green, digital and people-to-people and people-to-people exchanges, uphold the spirit of openness and cooperation, and jointly address global challenges such as climate change, energy transition, public health, security, and international peace and stability. The two sides will continue to support the China-EU dialogue on human rights in a spirit of mutual respect.
The two sides stressed that the economic and trade relations between China and the EU will develop in a more certain, predictable, balanced and mutually beneficial direction, and to achieve this goal, the two sides will continue to work to provide a fair business environment for each other's enterprises.
The two sides support the EU and China in working together to abide by WTO rules and market principles, adhere to free trade, fair competition, open cooperation, oppose protectionism and unilateralism, and handle trade frictions through dialogue and consultation on the basis of WTO rules.
China is willing to further strengthen communication and coordination on multilateral issues and promote the international community's solidarity in addressing global challenges on appropriate multilateral platforms. The two sides pledged to value and support the G20's role as a major platform for improving global economic governance, support the G20 in playing an active role in addressing global challenges, and continue to push the G20 to make effective contributions to ensuring the stability and smoothness of global supply chains, leading the global economic recovery, and promoting stable and sustainable growth. The two sides reaffirmed their support for the central role of the United Nations in the global multilateral system on the basis of abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, recognized its positive contribution to the promotion of peace, human rights and sustainable development, and will continue to strengthen coordination on the reform of the UN Security Council and make the work of the Security Council more democratic, efficient, transparent and inclusive. The two sides are willing to strengthen coordination and make substantive contributions to the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
The two sides confirmed that they will give priority to cooperation in the following areas: economy, trade and investment, finance, science, technology and innovation and education, green and sustainable development, medical and health care, and people-to-people exchanges.
1. Economic and trade investment
Multilateral trading system. The two sides support a rules-based multilateral trading system that is free, equal, fair, open, transparent, inclusive and non-discriminatory with the WTO at its core. The two sides support the WTO reform process, including restoring the full operation of the dispute settlement mechanism, enhancing the WTO's deliberative and supervisory role, and revitalizing the WTO's negotiating function. The two sides reaffirmed the need to strengthen the resilience and stability of global value chains and supply chains. The two sides welcomed the series of outcomes reached at the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference and expressed their willingness to continue to work to promote the positive results of the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference. The two sides are committed to promoting economic globalization in a more open, inclusive, balanced and inclusive direction, and promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation. The two sides are willing to intensify discussions on investment facilitation, digital trade, trade and environment.
Economic and trade promotion and investment. The two sides agreed on the importance of closer trade and rebalancing trade, and agreed to explore the potential of bilateral trade in a fair and transparent competitive environment and continue to expand the scale of two-way investment. The two sides stressed the need to further strengthen the role of the Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation, and are willing to strengthen cooperation between enterprises and economic policies of the two countries under this mechanism. The two sides agreed to give full play to the innovative leading and complementary role of the China-Italy Entrepreneur Council, provide a platform for promoting government-enterprise exchanges, and promote bilateral economic and trade development.
The two sides will continue to support the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the Italy Foreign Trade Commission and their representative offices in carrying out trade and investment promotion work in accordance with their functions. The two sides are willing to continue constructive talks on the nature of the Italy Trade Agency in China.
In view of this, the two sides will provide necessary support for the activities of the Italy China Chamber of Commerce in Italy and the China Italy Chamber of Commerce in China, and support the trade and investment promotion agencies and business associations of the two countries to strengthen dialogue and cooperation, prevent risks and resolve disputes.
The two sides attach great importance to the international exhibitions held in the two countries, and will continue to promote the participation of their respective enterprises, believing that the relevant exhibitions are an important engine to promote the internationalization of their respective markets and promote bilateral trade.
Market. The two sides agreed on the need to mutually guarantee better market access and effective competition equality among economic practitioners, tap the potential of trade, and jointly promote the balanced and stable development of bilateral trade. The two sides will continue to cooperate to progressively remove non-tariff barriers that unduly impede trade, and to provide an open, fair, transparent and non-discriminatory investment and business environment for each other's enterprises to invest and conduct business activities. The two sides agreed to give full play to the role of the Investment Cooperation Working Group, deepen investment cooperation between China and Italy in green development and other fields, and promote greater development of investment cooperation between the two countries through negotiations on specific projects of common concern.
Sustainable growth. The two sides agreed on the importance of balancing economic growth and development with international energy and ecological transition goals, in line with the ambitious commitments of both countries. The two sides are willing to strengthen cooperation in the field of renewable energy and related technologies.
Intellectual property. Recognizing that intellectual property plays an important role in enhancing the competitiveness of enterprises and promoting the innovation process, the two sides agreed to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the field of intellectual property, provide more efficient and convenient services for innovative entities in the two countries, create a favorable intellectual property environment for enterprises of both sides, and pay special attention to small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups. In view of this, the two sides are willing to initiate a bilateral dialogue mechanism between competent authorities on IP protection, with the aim of achieving information sharing on IP protection policies and more effective practices, and facilitating the exchange of important concerns and issues.
Geographical Indications. The two sides expressed their willingness to further cooperate in the field of geographical indications, and agreed to strengthen information exchange and cooperation within the framework of the EU-China Agreement on Geographical Indications. The two sides welcomed the implementation of the two MoUs on Cooperation and Protection of Geographical Indications, which aim to strengthen the protection of geographical indications and facilitate the exchange of information, business and joint promotion activities in the field of geographical indications.
E-commerce. The two sides agreed to further enhance the capacity of SMEs to promote and promote their products on e-commerce platforms, while providing necessary assistance in the protection of geographical indications and intellectual property rights. The two sides are willing to further strengthen dialogue and cooperation in the field of logistics, improve service quality and effectiveness, and promote the development of e-commerce in the two countries.
Agriculture. The two sides agreed to deepen agricultural cooperation between the two countries, promote people-to-people exchanges, and focus on cooperation in trade in agricultural and food products, development in rural areas, and agricultural research. The two sides are committed to continuing to promote the agreement on the export of agricultural and food products to China under negotiation and facilitating market access for relevant products.
Food Safety Cooperation. The two sides are willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the field of food safety supervision, and express appreciation for the signing of the Action Plan on Food Safety Supervision Cooperation between the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Italy (2024-2026).
Third-Party Marketplaces. Building on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2018 on cooperation in third-party markets, the two parties will continue to support the list of key projects agreed upon to support their respective companies interested in carrying out cooperation projects in this field.
2. Economic Cooperation and Finance
The two sides support China and Italy in holding the Finance Ministers' Dialogue on a rotational basis, and are willing to deepen communication and cooperation in macroeconomic policies, global economic governance, and fiscal and financial fields, and continuously strengthen China-Italy economic and financial relations.
The two sides are willing to fully tap the potential of portfolio cooperation and encourage various forms of cooperation in the fields of trade, services, and cultural heritage protection and development.
The two sides recognized the positive role played by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and other multilateral development banks in investing in infrastructure, connectivity and promoting sustainable development.
The two sides are willing to support exchanges and cooperation between credit and investment institutions and personnel. On the premise of respecting the relevant legal and regulatory requirements of the two countries, support the establishment of new banks and financial institutions and the branches and business of banks and financial institutions under reciprocal conditions between the two sides.
Green Finance. The two sides are willing to strengthen financial cooperation within the framework of internationally agreed principles and the G20 Roadmap for Sustainable Finance, so as to accelerate the green transition, promote better compliance of their respective financial institutions with the global sustainable finance principles, and promote investment by international financial institutions in the field of climate change and biodiversity conservation.
Audit supervision. The two sides are willing to explore the feasibility of negotiating and signing a bilateral audit and supervision cooperation agreement on the premise of mutual respect for sovereignty and each other's domestic laws and regulations.
Industry. The two sides attach importance to exchanges and cooperation in the industrial field, and are willing to deepen cooperation in areas that play an important role in the development of the digital economy, and express appreciation for the signing of the memorandum of understanding on industrial cooperation between the two countries.
3. Scientific and technological innovation and education
The two sides emphasized the importance of scientific and technological innovation in promoting economic and social development, appreciated the achievements of bilateral cooperation in the field of scientific and technological innovation, and supported the annual holding of the "China-Italy Innovation Cooperation Week", through which the ministers of science and technology of the two countries held annual regular meetings.
The two sides agreed to further strengthen the institutional role of the China-Italy Joint Commission on Scientific and Technological Cooperation, strengthen joint research cooperation in areas of common interest, and attach importance to the implementation of advanced joint training programs in the fields of energy and environment, polar research and sustainable development.
Scientific research. The two sides are willing to continue to facilitate the exchange of education and scientific research personnel, promote the cultivation of high-level joint talents and the birth of new achievements in scientific research projects with the participation of universities and scientific research institutions of the two countries, and continue to implement the implementation plan of scientific and technological cooperation between the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the Ministry of International Cooperation, as well as the joint statement of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Ministry of International Cooperation on the funded projects between China and Italy. The two sides are willing to continue to promote China-Italy cooperation in areas of common interest such as advanced manufacturing and green aviation technology.
The two sides are willing to strengthen polar cooperation, especially in the Ross Sea region of Antarctica. The Italian side has set up the "Mario · Zucelli" scientific research station in the area, and the Chinese side has built the Qinling station in the area.
The two sides are willing to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the field of oceans and biodiversity conservation.
Space cooperation. The two sides recognized the importance of China-Italy space cooperation and its importance to addressing global challenges such as global climate change, asteroid defense and space debris control, and agreed on the importance of building on the existing cooperation between the China National Space Administration and the Italy Space Agency. The two sides recognized the importance of the memorandum of understanding on cooperation and cooperation on the Tianwen-2 asteroid exploration mission of the electromagnetic monitoring satellite 02, which will be launched at the end of 2024.
Education and academics. The two sides agreed to continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the fields of education and higher education, universities, art and music education, and expressed satisfaction with the signing of the Implementation Plan for Education Cooperation between the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Italy on Cooperation in Education (2024-2027). The two sides are willing to discuss the establishment of a regular consultation mechanism between the Chinese and Italian Ministers of Education, support the universities of the two countries in holding the first China-Italy University Presidents' Forum in China, and strengthen cooperation between the universities of the two countries in the cultivation of high-level talents, cooperation in running schools and joint scientific research. Agreed to hold regular consultations between Chinese and Italian education experts; Support the further expansion of the scale of student and scholar exchanges, continue to promote the teaching of Chinese in Italy and Italy in China, and explore the possibility of including Italy in Chinese examinations in the future. The two sides will further strengthen cooperation in vocational education and train high-level professional and technical personnel.
Fourth, green and sustainable development
The two sides reaffirmed their willingness to strengthen cooperation in the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement, and recognized their respective ambitious goals and important and practical steps already taken.
The two sides expressed appreciation for the first "global stocktake" of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) hosted in Dubai, reaffirmed the Paris Agreement's commitment to limiting global temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and striving to limit the temperature limit to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, acknowledging that the targets will significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change, while emphasizing the importance of urgent action and support to ensure that the 1.5°C target is within reach. To this end, the two countries are ready to work together to contribute to the global goal of moving away from fossil fuels for the energy transition, with a particular focus on efforts to triple the world's installed renewable energy capacity by 2030 and double the average annual rate of global energy efficiency improvement.
The two sides agreed to promote cooperation in the fields of environmental protection policies, clean energy raw materials and technologies, energy efficiency, climate change response, biodiversity conservation, circular economy, and capacity building, and are willing to jointly promote China-Italy training on environmental protection, climate change, greenhouse gas emission reduction and sustainable development, with a focus on the younger generation.
The two sides agreed on the need to continue to take action to achieve the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and are willing to cooperate in relevant fields.
5. Medical and health cooperation
The two sides are willing to promote the establishment of ties between medical research institutions and health professional institutions of the two countries, and strengthen personnel exchanges and practical cooperation in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of chronic diseases (cancer, cardiovascular diseases, etc.), health personnel training, hospital management, digital health and telemedicine, prevention and control of infectious diseases and health emergency response, primary health care and general medicine, and health for the elderly.
The two sides are willing to strengthen cooperation under the framework of the 2024-2026 Implementation Plan for China-Italy Cooperation in the Health Field and the Memorandum of Understanding between the People's Republic of China National Medical Products Administration and the Ministry of Health and the Drug Administration of the Republic of Italy China on Regulatory Cooperation in Drugs, Medical Devices and Cosmetics, and are willing to further strengthen the cooperation in drug supervision between the two sides.
The two sides support the central role of the United Nations and the World Health Organization in safeguarding global health, and stand ready to work together to strengthen global public health governance.
6. Cultural and academic relations, people-to-people exchanges, cultural heritage, cooperation in crime fighting and disaster management
Cultural cooperation. The two sides agreed on the important role of strengthening cooperation among cultural institutions in promoting mutual learning among civilizations and developing contemporary creative cooperation. On the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the death of Marco ·Polo, the great promoter of exchanges and dialogue between Chinese and Italian civilizations, the two sides reaffirmed their willingness to continue to exert the influence of the 2022 China-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism to further promote cultural relations between the two countries. The two sides agreed to jointly strengthen cooperation between museums, archaeological sites, archives, opera houses and symphony orchestras of the two countries, and to develop friendly relations between the art and music academies of the two countries.
In view of this, the two sides agreed to sign a new round of implementation plans for cultural cooperation between the two governments as soon as possible, including cooperation in the field of publishing. China and Italy will also cooperate in organizing cultural events to commemorate Marco · Polo and his role in the history of bilateral relations.
The two sides will continue to support the China-Italy Cultural Cooperation Mechanism to play an active role as an important platform for dialogue and cooperation between cultural and tourism institutions of the two countries.
Recognizing the importance of audiovisual film cooperation, the two sides will help each other's audiovisual films to be disseminated in their countries, promote the participation of artists and industry professionals in film festivals, and promote cooperation between the audiovisual film industry. The two sides agreed to expedite the signing of an agreement on the joint production of the film.
Preservation of cultural heritage. China and Italy agreed to continue to strengthen cooperation between museums, archaeological institutions, heritage sites and other cultural and museum units of the two countries, and encourage cooperation in the fields of combating smuggling of cultural relics, recovering and returning cultural relics, protecting and restoring cultural relics, joint archaeology, and cultural relics exhibitions.
The two sides are willing to promote cooperation in the field of safeguarding and preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage by sharing experience in the field of technological innovation.
The two sides agreed to cooperate in the field of cultural heritage education, training and applied research, to facilitate the exchange of information and experience, and to organize relevant meetings on topics of common interest.
The World Heritage Site is well established. The two sides agreed on the importance of fully implementing the China-Italy UNESCO World Heritage Site Twinning Project, and are willing to actively promote the establishment of World Heritage sites in Beijing, such as the Summer Palace in Beijing, Villa Hadrian and Villa d'Este in Tivoli, Italy, the classical gardens of Suzhou, and Venice and its lagoon.
Tourism. The two sides reaffirmed the importance of tourism to enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples and promote post-pandemic economic recovery, agreed to strengthen cooperation between tourism agencies and industries through tourism promotion activities, and promoted high-quality and sustainable growth of tourist exchanges between the two countries, and expressed their willingness to continue to work on optimizing the visa issuance process under their respective legal frameworks.
In order to promote the revitalization of the tourism industry, the two sides are committed to further promoting the establishment of direct flights by air transport enterprises of the two countries and increasing the number of direct flight destinations between the two countries.
License. The two sides confirmed their common intention to continue to advance the negotiation of the mutual recognition agreement on driver's licenses.
Physical education. China supports Italy's hosting of the Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and the two sides are willing to take this opportunity to further deepen sports cooperation. In this context, the sports departments and sports organizations of the two countries are encouraged to strengthen communication and coordination, and carry out cooperation on the preparation and participation of the Winter Olympics.
Fight organized crime. The two sides are willing to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the fields of anti-narcotics, cracking down on telecommunications network fraud, economic and financial crimes, illegal immigration, and transnational organized crime.
Cooperation in disaster management. The two sides are willing to strengthen cooperation in the fields of disaster prevention, mitigation and relief, and emergency rescue, and jointly improve disaster management capabilities.
7. The Sino-Italian Government Committee
The two sides reaffirmed the importance of the work of the China-Italy Government Commission and other bilateral cooperation and coordination mechanisms in order to achieve the expected goals of this Action Plan.
(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 29)
Source: People's Daily
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