BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Italian President Sergio Mattarella in Beijing on Friday, saying the two countries should make joint efforts to build a world of harmonious coexistence. Mattarella is in China for a state visit at the invitation of Xi.
Noting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership, Xi said China and Italy, both ancient civilizations, should uphold their traditions of openness and inclusiveness, and encourage the international community to resolve differences through dialogue and rise above conflicts through cooperation.
Regarding relations between China and Europe, Xi said that China takes Europe as an important partner on the path toward realizing Chinese modernization. He urged the two sides to seek win-win cooperation and manage their differences properly to ensure that bilateral relations are more mature and stable, as duly expected.
“China is willing to strengthen cooperation with the European side to cope with global challenges, and hopes that Italy can play a positive role in this regard,” Xi said.
Earlier, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Donald Trump on his election as United States president, observers said that Beijing is urging Washington to tackle China-US ties with a cool head and offer the rest of the world a sense of predictability.In the message, Xi pointed out that history has shown how cooperation between China and the US can bring benefits to both sides, while rivalry can bring harm.
“A China-US relationship with stable, healthy and sustainable development is in line with the common interests of the two countries and the expectations of the international community,” Xi said.
It is hoped that the two sides will uphold the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, strengthen dialogue and communication, properly manage differences and expand mutually beneficial cooperation, he said.
Xi added that the two sides should find the right way for China and the US to get along in the new era, for the benefit of both countries as well as the world.
Also on Thursday, Vice-President Han Zheng sent a message to J.D. Vance, congratulating him on his election as US vice-president.
Su Xiaohui, deputy director of the Department for American Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, noted that Xi’s congratulatory message reflects the importance Beijing attaches to the development of China-US ties. –Agencies
Through the message, “China once again underscored the significance of keeping China-US ties stable, and it pointed to the fact that the international community is looking forward to seeing the stability of the relationship”, she said.
“In the recent past, both sides have demonstrated their readiness to keeping the relationship away from turbulence, and have achieved some results. They should carry on this momentum and move toward the same goal,” she added.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations. And the two nations have conducted fruitful cooperation in areas including people-to-people exchanges, counternarcotics and tackling climate change. China is now the third-largest export market for American commodities, and the US is China’s third-largest trading partner, according to the Chinese embassy in the US.
Observers also raised concerns that some hawkish politicians in the US may press ahead with efforts to seek economic “decoupling” with China and increase their confrontational stance on security-related issues, such as increasing tension in the Taiwan Strait. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
