Recently, during an interview granted to China Media Group, the ambassador of Italy to China, Luca Ferrari, said that active safeguarding of close cooperation in various fields between the two countries and joint promotion of the globalization process corresponds to the fundamental interests of Italy and China.

In recent years, economic/commercial cooperation between China and Italy has maintained rather rapid development, and the total volume of bilateral trade interchange has presented a fluctuating growth trend. In 2021, the Sino-Italian trade interchange volume set a record against the trend, reaching $73.95 billion, with Italian exports to China increasing by 36.3 percent. Ambassador Ferrari noted that in the past 10 years, the Italy-China trade has experienced a period of rapid growth. In the meantime, the two countries have maintained close contacts and pursued collaborations in investment, education, science and technology, culture, and so on. Facing various global challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic, Italy and China should devote themselves to further promoting the development of bilateral relations between the EU and China, jointly supporting and promoting economic globalization.

On July 10, the exhibition "Tota Italia. At the Origins of a Nation" is an important activity in the framework of the "China-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism." President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella respectively sent congratulatory letters to the exhibition's opening ceremony. Ambassador Ferrari said that the organization of the China-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism is another example of the continuation of friendly relations between the two countries, the promotion of exchanges and mutual appreciation between Eastern and Western civilizations, further demonstrating the strong resilience and solid foundation of bilateral relations between Italy and China.

Since 2022, due to international circumstances and the pandemic, China's economy has experienced various turbulences. The latest data published by China's National Bureau of Statistics shows that China's economy grew by 0.4 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of the year. In this regard, Italy's ambassador to China, Luca Ferrari, believes that the long-term growth trend of the Chinese economy has not changed. In the face of the pandemic, the global supply chain and trade in goods have been affected to varying degrees, and with the energy crisis causing problems such as rising prices, it is normal for the Chinese economy to be affected or slow down. The ambassador believes that the Chinese economy is extremely resilient and stable and that in the next decade China will continue to account for one-third of the world's economic growth.

Among other things, Luca Ferrari positively assessed the principles and measures China has put in place to achieve sustainable development. He noted that the goal put forward by the Chinese leadership to move from reaching peak carbon emissions to carbon neutrality in 30 years is in itself a huge effort, and that the green economy will be able to play an increasingly significant role in the framework of Chinese-Italian economic cooperation. The ambassador went on to say that the elimination of absolute poverty was an important historic goal achieved by China, earning it the admiration of the world. He also said he is convinced that China will continue to move forward and further improve the living standards of its people. In this process, Chinese-Italian cooperation in many fields will also continue to advance to a higher level.

(This article is translated from: http://www.italian.people.cn/n3/2022/0721/c416715-10125753.html）