Chinese President Xi Jinping and Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Sunday respectively sent congratulatory letters to the opening ceremony of the "Tota Italia. Origins of a Nation" exhibition at the National Museum of China in Beijing.

Noting that China and Italy are outstanding representatives of Eastern and Western civilizations, Xi said that the exhibition will showcase the profound heritage of Italian culture with a variety of precious cultural relics.

He hoped that the China-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism will take this opportunity to promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, enhance people-to-people connectivity and inject new vitality into the development of bilateral relations.

China is ready to work with the international community to promote equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilizations, to "replace estrangement with exchange, clashes with mutual learning, and superiority with coexistence", he said.

Mattarella said that cultural cooperation is an important part of Italy-China friendship.

The exhibition and a series of tourism activities held by Italy in China fully prove that the bilateral relations have a deep foundation, he said.

Saying that the international community is faced with many challenges, he stressed the importance of "unity and cooperation" in finding equitable and lasting solutions. 

It is believed that Italy and China will continue to deepen bilateral relations and jointly safeguard world peace and stability, he added.