Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on Monday met visiting Italian
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema.
Li said in the meeting that the political trust between China
and Italy had been on the increase and the bilateral cooperation
had been fruitful since the two nations decided to build a
comprehensive strategic partnership in 2004.
China is willing to work together with Italy to further enrich
this partnership, Li added.
D'Alema said Italy would adhere to the one-China policy and
oppose Taiwan independence. He said Italy would play an active role
in developing cooperation with China and promoting relations
between China and the EU.
In a joint press conference, Li said China hoped Italy could
play a positive role in eradicating the obstacles to sound China-EU
relations and help to ensure a trade balance between the two
sides.
D'Alema said Italy hoped to strengthen cooperation with China in
the United Nations since the country will be a non-permanent member
of the UN Security Council in 2007.
Italy also would like to develop close ties with China in air
and marine transportation, logistics, the protection of cultural
relics, urban construction and public facilities, D'Alema
added.
Before the press conference, the two foreign ministers signed a
political document to mark the end of the Second Joint Meeting of
the China-Italy Governmental Committee. An agreement on the
investment shareholders of the Mandarin Fund, a fund set up to
support small and medium businesses to expand into Chinese or
Italian markets, was signed by the China Development Bank, the
Export-Import Bank of China, the Italian Sanpaolo IMI Bank and the
Mandarin Fund Company.
(Xinhua News Agency November 14, 2006)
