Farnesina: Tajani Meets Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, met this morning at the Farnesina with the Minister of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, Wang Wentao.

This marks the third meeting in a year with the Chinese counterpart; the previous discussions were held in Beijing in September 2023 and in Verona last April during the XV Joint Economic Commission and the Business Dialogue Forum, both co-chaired by Minister Tajani and Minister Wang. Today's meeting follows the visit to China by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last July and precedes the planned mission to Beijing by President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, which Tajani will also attend.

"Relations between Italy and China are entering an important phase of revitalisation, with a shared goal to strengthen and update the Italy-China Global Strategic Partnership, which since 2004 has served as the framework for the development of our relations," Tajani said, emphasising in particular the importance of the economic dimension: "China is our primary trading partner in Asia and the second among non-EU countries, after the USA. I reiterated the need for fair access to the Chinese market and a level playing field for our companies, especially SMEs and businesses in the agri-food sector. Starting from this premise, we want to continue working with our Chinese partners to strengthen economic cooperation and rebalance the trade deficit between Rome and Beijing."

International issues discussed included the war in Ukraine and the crisis in Gaza and the Red Sea. "I raised the issue of military supplies to Russia," Minister Tajani said, stressing that "China's cooperation is essential, particularly in view of the upcoming peace conference."

Additionally, the Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted that "it is crucial for China to collaborate on the security of the Red Sea, a key region for the freedom of navigation and the safety of exports."

During the meeting, the topics of intellectual property protection, trade exchanges in the agri-food sector, and investment were also discussed. Tajani also expressed his satisfaction to his Chinese counterpart regarding the inauguration - on 26 September - of a direct flight between Venice and Shanghai, operated by "China Eastern Airlines": a goal discussed by the two Ministers during the Joint Economic Commission last April and swiftly realised, which aligns with the shared desire of both parties to expand air links between Italy and China beyond Rome and Milan.