The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, underlined the importance of multilateralism and a “constructive interlocution” in the face of the changes taking place in the world, opening the meeting with the President of the Chinese Republic Xi Jiping on Friday (8 November) in the Hall of the People in Beijing.
The President of the Republic arrived in Beijing yesterday accompanied by the Vice President of the Council and Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani. On Friday Mattina Mattarella was received by Xi at the Palace of the National People’s Assembly, with whom he held talks, together with the respective official delegations. At the end of the meeting, the two Presidents spoke at the presentation of the results of the Italy-China Cultural Forum and at the signing of agreements between the two countries.
Speaking together with his Chinese counterpart at the Italy-China Cultural Forum, Mattarella recalled that “China is a fundamental protagonist in international life and is an important interlocutor for Italy”.
In his speech Mattarella underlined that Italians, founding members of the European Union, are “supporters of the importance of aggregation phenomena between countries that share interests or sensitivities”, but “not opposed to others”.
Indeed, for Mattarella, “it is always necessary to preserve a constructive dialogue, however distant or different the others are, without raising unjustified barriers”.
For the President of the Republic, this “is the meaning of multilateralism, based on certain, shared and binding rules for all”.
The president observed that we therefore need “good faith and good will, and convinced adherence to fundamental rules of coexistence. For example, the rule that prohibits the use – and even the mere threat – of force in relations between states”.
For Xi, China and Italy should act to promote mutual understanding
For his part, Chinese President Xi observed that “our world is currently experiencing a new period of turbulence and change.”
In this context, according to the Chinese president, China and Italy are “two great and ancient civilizations” and “should react to promote mutual understanding”, values and virtues.
The Chinese president underlined that Rome and Beijing can work together to “overcome differences and conflicts with broad open-mindedness and unite development forces with a vision of harmonious coexistence, so as to illuminate the right path of advancement for men”.
Dialogue with Europe
Mattarella’s trip comes as relations between Beijing and the European Union are in crisis after Brussels adopted duties of up to 35.3% on electric cars produced in China at the end of October, concluding a period of consultation started in October last year to determine whether Beijing’s subsidies had weakened European competition. China reacted strongly to the EU’s move by filing a case at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
According to the Chinese news agency Xinhua, Chinese President Xi Jinping stated during the meeting with Mattarella that China would be willing to strengthen cooperation with the European side to address global challenges and “hopes that Italy can play a positive role”.
For China, reports the official Xinhua agency, Europe is an “important partner” and it is necessary to aim for “win-win cooperation” for both sides and “resolve differences appropriately to ensure that bilateral relations become more mature and stable.”
Meanwhile, the European Commission has announced that after a week of intense discussions, “technical progress” is being recorded towards an agreement on the prices of electric car imports to cancel the duties imposed by the EU.
According to what the newspaper reports Il Sole 24 Ore, following WTO rules, the parties “constructively and thoroughly discussed how to establish a minimum import price” that China should commit to and “tools to monitor and enforce the commitment.”
Italy is heavily dependent on foreign trade, such as luxury products which have a large market in China. Following the conflict in Ukraine and Beijing’s support for Moscow, the Italian government decided in December 2023 to withdraw from Xi Jinping’s global Belt and Road initiative, aimed at deepening China’s relations with African countries, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East through infrastructure investments. Italy was the first G7 country to sign the initiative in 2019, during the government led by Giuseppe Conte.
[a cura di Simone Cantarini]
