A China-Europe freight train with medical supplies on board kicks off journey from Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province to Milan of Italy on August 12 in Xi'an. Photo: VCG

Bilateral ties between China and Italy have been further strengthened, with a promising reciprocal cooperation in the post-epidemic era, after a visit by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to five European states from August 25 to September 1. Italy was the first stop on the tour which was the minister's first overseas visit since the pandemic.

"Choosing Italy as the first stop reflects the importance of China-Italy relations in China's diplomacy and China-EU exchanges, and the great importance China attaches to expanding bilateral cooperation," the Chinese Ambassador to Italy Li Junhua said in a written interview with the Global Times.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and Italy have helped each other and worked together to fight the pandemic, a fact much appreciated by the people of both countries, and a strong example of international cooperation.

Cui Hongjian, director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times the first stop was chosen based on the atmosphere of cooperation between the two countries, and on the fact that China and Italy have signed a memorandum of understanding in support of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In the thick of epidemic prevention, this bilateral cooperation proved extremely effective.

Resilient in hard times



China-Italy economic and trade exchanges have not been interrupted, despite the epidemic fallout, with bilateral economic and trade cooperation making remarkable strides and showing strong resilience. 

From January to July this year, the bilateral trade volume between China and Italy reached $29.1 billion, with the year-on-year decline narrowing by nearly half compared with the first five months of this year.

In July, the bilateral trade volume reached $5.3 billion, a sharp increase of 8.6 percent year-on-year.

The trade of medical items is performing particularly well.

In the first half of this year, China exported more than $1.5 billion of medical supplies to Italy, providing strong material support for Italy's fight against the epidemic. In the same period, China imported $1.1 billion of Italian-made drugs, a sharp increase of 25 percent over the same period last year, showing great future potential for medical trade cooperation, according to the Chinese Embassy in Italy.

Economic progress has also been made in the construction of the Belt and Road cooperative port between the two countries, with the new Vado Gateway terminal, located in Vado Ligure, operating its first commercial service on February 11.

During the pandemic, the two countries signed an agreement to import Italian rice and beef to China. Chinese companies have also invested in Italy's Motor Valley, setting a precedent for a broader cooperation.

Li Junhua, Chinese Ambassador to Italy Photo: Courtesy of the Chinese Embassy in Italy

With epidemic prevention and control required on a regular basis, the need to gradually resume personnel exchanges between the two countries is becoming increasingly urgent.

To ensure the safety and stability of industrial and supply chains, the Civil Aviation Administration of China launched "green channels" in May: Italy was one of the first eight countries allowed to resume international passenger charter flights with China.

"Thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, the number of direct flights between China and Italy has been increased from one to two flights per week," said Li, noting that during the next stage, they will continue to make it easier for people from both sides to return to work and school in light of the epidemic situation.

New chapter under new normal



The ambassador said that Wang's visit was not only a continued expression of the unity between China and Italy in the fight against COVID-19, but also the beginning of deepening bilateral cooperation in the post-COVID-19 era.

During Wang's visit, China and Italy signed agreements to promote practical cooperation in the fields of agricultural and energy.

Meanwhile, the Italian side is making full preparations to participate in the third China International Expo to promote high quality Italian products to the Chinese market.

"It is foreseen that the two countries will have greater potential for cooperation in such areas as healthcare, energy, sustainable development, digital economy and e-commerce in the future," said Li.

"In the previous memorandum of understanding between China and Italy, there are a number of areas that should be promoted and implemented in the future, such as port cooperation, infrastructure, energy, manufacturing and science and technology," Cui added.

Cui's comments echoed the ambassador's remarks:

"The two governments will continue to improve cooperation mechanisms and build cooperative platforms under the BRI framework to promote sustained, healthy and rapid development of the bilateral economic and trade cooperation," said Li.