BUILDING BELT & ROAD, DEEPENING PRACTICAL COOPERATION

Wang hailed Italian government's forethought and pragmatism over its decision of endorsing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), saying Xi and Mattarella agreed that China and Italy, which are at the two ends of the ancient Silk Road, are natural partners in constructing the Belt and Road.

Conte, according to Wang, said the BRI will bring great opportunities to Italy. He also agreed to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held in Beijing next month.

France is one of the earliest European countries that have expressed the willingness to take part in the BRI cooperation. During Xi's visit to France, the two countries signed agreements on the third round of the BRI-related demonstration projects in third-party markets and kicked off a third-party market fund, Wang said.

At the closing session of a global governance forum co-hosted by China and France, Macron said the BRI is significant and can play an important role in world peace, stability and development, adding that the EU could align its development strategy with the BRI in an innovative way and jointly promote Eurasian connectivity.

PROMOTING CHINA-EU TIES

Following his visits to Spain and Portugal in late 2018, Xi came to Europe again in his first overseas trip this year, manifesting the great importance China attaches to Europe, Wang said.

In a world of unprecedented transformations, Xi noted that a stable, strategic and reciprocal China-EU relationship is urgently needed.

Wang said during his visit, Xi had in-depth communication with the European leaders to discuss cooperation in international issues and reached important consensus of adhering to multilateralism, and discarding isolationism and unilateral moves.

He also said Xi and the European leaders agreed to enhance coordination and cooperation within the UN system, give full play to the constructive role of global and regional multilateral mechanisms such as the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and Group of 20 and the EU, and actively contribute to solving international conflicts, combating climate change and promoting sustainable development.

In his keynote speech at the global governance forum, Xi raised "four deficits" in global affairs including governance deficit, trust deficit, peace deficit and development deficit. To address these deficits, he proposed a four-pronged approach of fairness and reasonableness, consultation and understanding, joint efforts and mutual assistance and mutual benefit and win-win results.

It is advisable to pursue an innovation-driven, well-coordinated and inter-connected, and fair and inclusive approach and forge a growth model of vitality, a cooperation model of openness and win-win results, and a development model of balance and common benefits, so that people from across the world could share the benefits of economic globalization, Xi said.