(Adnkronos) – Culture is “a tool of friendship and dialogue among peoples, Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani stated during a two-day visit to China aimed at strenghtening economic, political and cultural ties.
“Culture as a tool of friendship and dialogue among peoples. Every year hundreds of great Italian works of art travel the world to reach here in China, just as Marco Polo and Matteo Ricci did,” Tajani wrote Friday on X.
“For this reason, today in Beijing I inaugurated the exhibition of the Uffizi Galleries in homage to the great masters of the Italian Renaissance, from Leonardo da Vinci to Caravaggio,” Tajani went on.
“Cultural diplomacy continues to be a priority of our foreign policy,” he underlined.
In an editorial for China Daily on Friday, Tajani underlined the “strong cultural foundations” of Italy-China relations. These ties are “shaped by deep exchanges between two ancient civilisations that share a leading position in cultural and natural heritage recognised by Unesco,” he wrote.
“This richness is reflected in the many exhibitions organised in collaboration with leading Italian cultural institutions, including the Uffizi Galleries, as well as the ongoing exhibition in Beijing dedicated to Andrea Palladio: the first ever held in Asia on the work of the Italian architect”.
Alongside increasing interest in Italy’s “scientific and humanistic traditions,” tourism is growing between Italy and China – a phenomenon that is likely to get a fresh boost from direct Venice-Beijing flights beginning in July, after the successful launch of direct flights between Venice and Shanghai in September 2024, according to Tajani.
In further signs of interest in Italy and its culture, Italian language courses are offered in over 50 Chinese universities and more than 15,000 Chinese students are studying in Italian universities, representing “a strategic long-term investment,” Tajani stated.
“These young people act as a bridge between our societies and contribute to strengthening mutual understanding with lasting effects,” he wrote.
