Italian president to visit China

BEIJING, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Italian President Sergio Mattarella will pay a state visit to China from Nov. 7 to 12 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced here on Tuesday.

During President Mattarella's visit, President Xi will hold talks with him to draw a blueprint for the future development of China-Italy relations. Li Qiang, the Chinese premier, and Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, will meet with him respectively, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a daily press briefing.

China and Italy, both ancient civilizations and important economies in the world, enjoy solid public support for bilateral friendly cooperation, which is in line with the common interests of both sides and contributes to the healthy development of China-Europe relations and global stability and prosperity, Mao said.

Noting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership, Mao said the successive visits of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Mattarella to China highlight the high-level development of China-Italy relations.

China is willing to work with Italy, under the guidance of the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, to further deepen political mutual trust, expand practical cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, promote mutual learning among civilizations, and inject more stability into a world fraught with uncertainties.