China represents “neither a challenge nor a threat, rather an opportunity for Europe”. The ambassador of Beijing to Rome, Li Junhua, thus responds to the declarations received in recent days by the G7 and the NATO summit, which have defined China as “a systemic challenge”. “China has always pursued peaceful development and considering it a ‘systemic challenge’ is certainly an error of assessment – argues Li, in an interview withAdnkronos – The reason could be traced to the fact that some still stick to Cold War thinking, have ideological biases and wish to create ‘inner circles’.’ «The world is beautiful for its plurality – emphasizes the ambassador – different countries have different history, culture and national peculiarities, so the right way is to adapt to their own development and obtain the support of the people. Chinese development is aimed at allowing the entire population to live well, it has no interest in challenging other countries ”. After the summit, Prime Minister Draghi had spoken of China as an “autocracy that does not adhere to multilateral rules and does not share the same vision of the world of democracies”, explaining that “we must be frank, cooperate but be frank about the things we do not accept”. Today the ambassador underlines that between Italy and China there may be differences on some issues, as is normal between partners and friends, but to overcome them we need more “dialogue and cooperation”.
The Silk Road
The diplomat recalls that “both China and Europe have ancient civilizations, China and the EU are global strategic partners, facing common challenges in areas such as responding to climate change, improving global governance and promoting sustainable development. , therefore they can absolutely strengthen coordination and cooperation, bringing benefits on a global scale ». Li admits that “there are differences in perspectives and points of view between China and Europe”, but at the same time “cooperation between them is greater than the competition and the identity of views far outweighs the differences.” On the plate is the Silk Road, the agreement signed two years ago by the Conte I government, which Draghi has already said he wants to examine carefully, even if the American President Biden has not explicitly asked him to abandon it. “The Belt and Road originated from China, but it belongs to all parties involved. This initiative aims to obtain mutual benefits and mutual advantages through the interconnection and the conjunction of the development of each subject – the ambassador emphasizes – All the countries and organizations participating in this initiative have a positive attitude ». For the ambassador, Italy knows the advantages deriving from the agreement that could be replaced: “More than two years have passed since China and Italy signed the memorandum on the joint construction of the Belt and Road and this has brought tangible results to Italian companies and people “. The Beijing representative in Rome recalls, for example, that «last year the exports of Italian agricultural products to China increased by 12%. In the first five months of this year, the volume of bilateral trade between China and Italy was nearly $ 28.5 billion, an increase of 50.2% year on year and a 74.9% increase in exports. Italians in China “.
June 23, 2021 (change June 23, 2021 | 19:02)
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