Italy officially launched an education center in Rome on Wednesday, aiming to boost education cooperation with China and attract more Chinese students to study in Italian universities.

Cesare Romiti, chairman of Italy-China Foundation, said as the first cooperation program between the two countries on exchanges at university levels, the establishment of the center is expected to bring about more opportunities for talented Chinese students to study in Italy.

At the center's inauguration ceremony, both Italian Foreign Ministry officials and Chinese ambassador Sun Yuxi hoped that the center could serve not only as a platform for bilateral education cooperation, but also a catalyst for deepening understanding in other sectors as well.

Romiti also said the foundation has already set up an "Italian Education Program" center in Beijing and two offices in Shanghai and Guangzhou respectively, in an effort to promote the Italian language and provide information services for Chinese students who intend to study in Italy.

(Xinhua News Agency October 16, 2008)