CHINA: Italian Foreign Minister holds talks with Chinese officials to boost ties

Italian Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema met Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Monday afternoon (November 13) to seek stronger bilateral ties. D'Alema arrived in Beijing on Sunday (November 12), and will spend Tuesday morning (November 14) in the Chinese capital before traveling to Shanghai, China's business hub. After meeting with Wen Jiabao, D'Alema held talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing. The two also co-presided over the Second Joint Meeting of the China-Italy Governmental Committee. "To build a long-term friendship and establish an all-around and mutually beneficial strategic partnership is the common aspiration of people from our two countries. It helps boost bilateral cooperation to keep on the Joint Meeting of the China-Italy Governmental Committee," said Li Zhaoxing. D'Alema hailed the strategic partnership, saying closer economic ties will be a win-win situation for both countries. "We also hope that the strategic choice of China will be to look towards Italy as the natural entry point for Chinese products in Europe. We hope it will accompany the flow of materials into Europe through Italy with the relevant investments in logistics, ports and civil aviation," he said. In recent years, traditional sectors of the Italian economy, such as textiles and shoemaking, have been badly hit by competition from China and other Asian economies. Italy and some of its European partners accuse the Asian countries of subsidising cheap exports to Europe, and want the EU to build a wall of tariffs. Chinese imports to Italy grew 17.1 percent in July from a year earlier, according to data from Italy's national statistics office. Italy reported a deficit with China of US$1.36 billion in July. According to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Trade, about 1,420 Italian companies are operating in China, including carmaker Fiat. D'Alema said that the to discussed the best ways of dealing with Iran. "I would like to underline that we agree that the aim is not pressure. It's only a means. The aim is to reopen negotiations - to open a dialogue along the lines of what has already been mapped out with the negotiating offers that were made to Iran to find a solution. (This is) on the one hand, respect the decisions of the United Nations -- defence of the credibility of the international institutions -- on the other hand the commitment to reopen as fast as possible the dialogue and negotiations," he said. The two leaders also signed three deals on political cooperation and bilateral economic investment at the meeting. D'Alema will also meet Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, China's envoy to North Korea, on Tuesday (November 14) before he wraps up his two-day visit in China.

ITN Source | November 14, 2006

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