"China and Italy are both stellar examples of Eastern and Western civilizations, and both have written splendid chapters in the history of human progress," wrote Chinese President Xi Jinping in a signed article titled "East Meets West – A New Chapter of Sino-Italian Friendship" published on March 20, 2019, in leading Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

In the article, Xi Jinping emphasized the hope for both countries to promote closer people-to-people ties: "As countries with the largest number of UNESCO world heritage sites, China and Italy have plenty of cultural and tourism resources. We may encourage our world heritage sites to forge twinning relationships and our cultural institutions and individuals to organize premium relic and art exhibitions."

On March 21, 2019, Xi arrived in Rome for a state visit to Italy to map out the future of the bilateral relationship and move it into a new era.

During this visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte witnessed the exchange of certificates for the return of 796 Chinese cultural relics that had been lost.

On April 24, 2019, the grand opening of the "The Journey Back Home: An Exhibition of Chinese Artifacts Repatriated from Italy" took place at the National Museum of China. This repatriation of cultural relics was the longest-duration case for the reclaiming of lost Chinese artifacts and the largest-scale return in nearly 20 years.

The return of 796 Chinese cultural relics was rooted in the unwavering love of both the Chinese and Italian people for world cultural heritage and enabled by the long-standing bilateral mechanisms established by the two countries.

Looking back at history, friendly ties between the two great civilizations go back a long way. As far back as over 2,000 years ago, China and ancient Rome, though thousands of miles apart, were already connected by the Silk Road.

And the 1980s marked an important period in Sino-Italian exchange and mutual learning in the field of cultural heritage.

In 1983, an exhibition featuring ancient Chinese civilization was held in Venice. In 1988, the first Italian government delegation for cultural heritage protection and archaeology visited China, marking the beginning of a modern partnership between the two ancient civilizations.

Over the following decades, Sino-Italian cultural heritage cooperation has brought people closer through the power of artifacts and continuous mutual assistance. From joint archaeological investigations at the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan Province, to the protection and restoration of the Leshan Giant Buddha in Sichuan Province and from preliminary surveys and restoration studies of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City to collaborative training programs in the conservation and restoration of cultural relics, Sino-Italian cultural heritage cooperation has facilitated the exchange, improvement, and standardization of ideas, standards, and techniques in the preservation of cultural artifacts.

In November 2021, Chinese and Italian experts in cultural heritage preservation and archaeology discussed the latest discoveries at the Sanxingdui sacrificial pits and the ancient city of Pompeii at a two-day online forum.

The hosting of the "China-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism" was an important consensus reached between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Italian President Sergio Mattarella during Xi's state visit in 2019. A wide range of cross-cultural activities, tourism events and exchanges between the two countries were held.

President Xi noted in his signed article: "Looking back at the last five decades, China-Italy relations have struck deep roots and borne rich fruits. Looking ahead, China-Italy cooperation will continue to flourish and prosper. The Chinese people look forward to working hand in hand with our friends in Italy to carry forward our blossoming relationship and imbue our friendship with more vitality and dynamism."