Economic Development Undersecretary Michele Geraci speaks during the inaugural meeting of Italy's brand-new China Task Force in Rome, Italy, Oct. 1, 2018. The inaugural meeting of Italy's brand-new China Task Force, which aims to position the European country as "a privileged partner" in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), was held here at the Economic Development Ministry on Monday. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)
ROME, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The inaugural meeting of Italy's brand-new China Task Force, which aims to position the European country as "a privileged partner" in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), was held here at the Economic Development Ministry on Monday.
The Task Force, first announced in August, is meant to boost economic relations with China.
Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the BRI aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Africa and Europe along the ancient trade routes of the Silk Road.
Italian Ambassador to China Ettore Sequi said that since taking office in June, Italy's new government has made three high-level visits to China, sending Finance Minister Giovanni Tria, Economic Development Undersecretary Michele Geraci, and most recently, Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio, who also serves as economic development minister.
Di Maio's visit was very well-received, Chinese Ambassador to Italy Li Ruiyu told participants .
Chinese Ambassador to Italy Li Ruiyu, who attended the meeting, told Xinhua that the new Italian government attaches great importance to bilateral relations, thus the Task Force came into being.
"Italy and China were linked by the ancient silk road in the past. We expect the Task Force to help strengthen the two countries' cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and contributing to a closer EU-China relationship," Li added.
Foreign Undersecretary Manlio Di Stefano said that "China is a country of priority interest" and among the Task Force objectives are "more access to the Chinese market, better quality products and more investments."
"We want to set up a systematic approach," explained Geraci, adding that the China Task Force will be subdivided into four general focus areas covering cooperation with China in the third world, China's macro economy and politics, high technology and chemicals, as well as culture and education.
"This could be a way to acquire mutual trust and gain access to the Chinese market," Geraci said.
China's immense domestic market demands more and more quality goods and represents opportunities Italy should not miss, both in terms of exports and in attracting investments, according to Geraci.
According to the Economic Development Ministry, Italy wants to roll out incentives to attract more Chinese investments, which have totaled 25 billion euros (almost 29 billion U.S. dollars) in the past decade.
