(Bloomberg) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping told Italian President Sergio Mattarella that China is willing to import more of Italy’s high-quality products and expand their business ties.
Italy can also play an active role in enhancing cooperation between China and Europe and in Europe’s participation in tackling global challenges, state-run China Central Television quoted Xi as saying during the leaders’ meeting in Beijing on Friday.
“China is willing to expand imports of high-quality Italian products, support mutual investment between businesses in both countries, and continue to promote cooperation in science, environmental protection, clean energy, and aerospace,” Xi said.
China regards Europe as a key partner, and both sides should manage differences prudently to ensure stable relations, Xi said.
Mattarella’s state visit to Beijing came a few months after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered to broker better trade relations between China and the European Union. Her July visit to China was meant to renew Beijing-Rome ties after she snubbed Xi’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative last year.
China’s trade relationship with the EU had been under the spotlight in recent months over the bloc’s tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports. On Friday, China and the EU said they made some progress after a week of technical talks in Beijing aimed at scaling back or reversing the tariffs.
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