China and Italy are strategic cooperation partners that are honest with each other and share mutual trust. The two countries don't have fundamental conflicts of interest and can look after each other's core concerns.

Chinese President Xi Jinping made these remarks during a speech while meeting business leaders and representatives from both countries with his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella in Rome following a press conference.

The Chinese and Italian industrial representatives attended the China-Italy entrepreneurs' committee meeting, the third party market cooperation forum and cultural cooperation mechanism meeting in Rome.

It's the first time that three major meetings facilitating China-Italy cooperation have been held in the same period, which shows the robust friendship and cooperation between the two countries, according to Xi.

Xi said that he is confident in the positive prospect of China-Italy relationship, and cooperation in politics, economy, and culture.

The communication and cooperation between China and Italy are based on a solid political foundation, Xi said. The various established cooperation mechanisms such as the China-Italy governmental committee, economy, and trade committee, technology committee, entrepreneurs committee, and the third party market cooperation group can ensure effective communications between the two countries.

In terms of economy, China and Italy have a mutually beneficial relationship, and the two countries are win-win economic partners, Xi said.

In recent years, China-Italy bilateral trade has developed steadily, and two-way investment has grown rapidly. The two countries cooperate in fields including industrial manufacturing, modern agriculture, transportation infrastructure, energy conservation, environmental protection and many more. The cooperation has brought tangible benefits to both countries.

Xi encourages the industrial representatives to contribute to strengthening cooperation between the two countries. Xi expressed wishes for the relationship between the two countries to be stable and far-reaching on the path of mutual benefit, and the two countries will contribute to promoting China-EU interconnection and also to the world's development and prosperity.

China and Italy will celebrate the 15th anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership in 2019. The following year will mark the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

Italy is China's fifth largest trading partner in the European Union, and China is Italy's largest trading partner in Asia. Their trade volume reached nearly 50 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, a 15-percent year-on-year increase.