Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on Monday met visiting Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema.

 

Li said in the meeting that the political trust between China and Italy had been on the increase and the bilateral cooperation had been fruitful since the two nations decided to build a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2004.

 

China is willing to work together with Italy to further enrich this partnership, Li added.

 

D'Alema said Italy would adhere to the one-China policy and oppose Taiwan independence. He said Italy would play an active role in developing cooperation with China and promoting relations between China and the EU.

 

In a joint press conference, Li said China hoped Italy could play a positive role in eradicating the obstacles to sound China-EU relations and help to ensure a trade balance between the two sides.

 

D'Alema said Italy hoped to strengthen cooperation with China in the United Nations since the country will be a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2007.

 

Italy also would like to develop close ties with China in air and marine transportation, logistics, the protection of cultural relics, urban construction and public facilities, D'Alema added.

 

Before the press conference, the two foreign ministers signed a political document to mark the end of the Second Joint Meeting of the China-Italy Governmental Committee. An agreement on the investment shareholders of the Mandarin Fund, a fund set up to support small and medium businesses to expand into Chinese or Italian markets, was signed by the China Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank of China, the Italian Sanpaolo IMI Bank and the Mandarin Fund Company.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 14, 2006)