Chinese President Xi Jinping thanked the Italian side for its warm reception, and Italian President Sergio Mattarella noted that the two sides had fruitful and frank talks during Xi's historic visit.

Mattarella held a farewell ceremony for Xi at the Quirinale Palace on Saturday. Xi arrived in the southern European country on Thursday with the aim of mapping out the future of the bilateral relationship and moving it into a new era.

Xi called on the two countries to promote their comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level and strengthen high-level exchange.

For his part, Mattarella extended his congratulations on Xi's successful and historic visit, noting that the visit helps motivate cooperation between the two sides in various areas.

The two leaders held talks on Friday and agreed to strengthen cooperation and communication under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Later on Saturday, Xi held talks with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and they witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation within the framework of the BRI.