Italy – China, Xi Jinping and Mattarella: “No to Opposing Blocs”
Dialogue, cooperation, concern about trade wars and world drift of “opposing blocs.” These are the points of convergence and concern expressed by the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, who visited China, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Hall of the People after holding a Lectio magistralis (expert class) at Beijing’s Beida University.
“China is a major actor in international life and an important interlocutor for Italy,” Mattarella explained, emphasizing the importance of “a way of interacting with each other” that leads “to the creation of a common heritage that makes us evade the temptation of an anachronistic return to the world of opposing blocs.”
The Italian head of state emphasized that, as a founding country of the European Union, Italians “are supporters of the importance of the phenomenon of aggregation between countries with common interests or sensitivities. But it doesn’t contrast with the others. Indeed, it is always necessary to maintain a constructive dialog, however distant and different, without erecting unjustified barriers. This is the meaning of multilateralism, based on defined, common, and binding rules. Goodwill and good faith are required, as well as a convincing adherence to the fundamental rules of coexistence. For example, a norm prohibiting the use – and even the mere threat – of force between states.”
Xi Jinping stressed that the friendly exchanges between China and Italy, which go back more than a thousand years, have stimulated endless bilateral cultural and people-to-people exchanges, setting an example of equal dialogue and common development among different civilizations. “The world has entered a new period of unrest and transformation,” explained the Chinese president, who invited the two sides to “work together to encourage more open-minded people to practice friendship and cooperation between China and Italy, promote mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations, and engage in building a community with a common destiny of humanity, so as to make joint contributions to world peace and development.”
