Italian students visit the book fair exhibiting Chinese children’s original books, at the 55th International Children's Book Fair in Bologna, Italy, March 28, 2018. [Photo/ Xinhua]

In the field of education, the Sino-Italian bilateral exchanges and cooperation have also developed rapidly. The two countries have carried out fruitful cooperation in sending foreign students, intercollegiate exchanges and language teaching. The two countries have maintained close exchanges through project cooperation and personnel exchanges. More than 20 universities and research institutes in China, such as Peking University and Tsinghua University, have established exchanges and cooperation with Italian universities.

Cooperation in the field of tourism between the two countries has also developed vigorously. In recent years, the scale of Chinese tourists has been expanding, and Italy has become one of the most popular European countries for Chinese tourists. According to Italy’s official figures, the number of Chinese tourists to Italy reached 1.5 million in 2017, and the number of Italian tourists to China also showed an upward trend.

Li Ruiyu said that in the future, China and Italy will explore and strengthen cooperation in the work related to UNESCO World Cultural Heritage, further boost publicity and attractiveness of the two’s cultural heritage, and through exchanges and cooperation in this field, the cultural exchanges, economic and trade cooperation between the two countries will be promoted.

The deepening cooperation between China and Italy in the field of culture not only builds a bridge between the two peoples, but also provides a strong impetus for the all-round development of the bilateral ties between two countries.