The two leaders last Friday listened to reports from representatives of both sides on cultural and educational partnerships between China and Italy.
Xi said that the long history of China-Italy friendship, spanning over a thousand years, has promoted rich cultural and people-to-people exchanges, setting a model of equal dialogue and mutual development between civilizations.
In recent years, the China-Italy cultural cooperation mechanism has initiated cultural and tourism exchange years in both countries and pioneered partnerships between UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Universities from China and Italy have also expanded academic and youth exchanges, along with collaborative research in emerging fields, with productive outcomes, Xi said.
Xi emphasized that, in today's shifting global landscape, China and Italy should encourage more efforts toward cooperation, mutual understanding, and civilizational exchange, contributing to global peace and development.
Mattarella praised the contributions of the cultural cooperation mechanism and the university presidents' dialogue in fostering mutual understanding and cooperation between Italy and China, noting that both countries have rich cultural heritages.
He added that both nations should build on past experiences, strengthen people-to-people exchanges, and oppose divisiveness, laying a solid foundation for the continued strategic partnership between Italy and China.
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