On the evening of November 11, President of China Xi Jinping and President of Italy Sergio Mattarella attended the China-Italy Cultural Cooperation Mechanism Conference to meet representatives of the China-Italy University Presidents’ Dialogue and so did Liao Xiangzhong, the Secretary of the Party Committee of CUC.
Two presidents heard reports from representatives of the two sides on China-Italy cultural and university cooperation.
Xi Jinping pointed out that the thousand-year history of friendly exchanges between China and Italy has nourished the ever-thriving people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. The ancient Silk Road marked the start of East-West exchanges, and Marco Polo opened a window for the Western world to know about China. Generations after generations of envoys have continued to write the chapter on the friendship between the two countries, setting an example of equal dialogue and shared development among different civilizations in the world. In recent years, the Sino-Italian Cultural Cooperation Mechanism has promoted the mutual hosting of cultural and tourism years between the two countries, initiated the model of sister-city relationships between UNESCO World Heritage sites, and extensively promoted academic and youth exchanges between higher educational institutions in the two countries. Emerging disciplines have also been explored through joint research, yielding fruitful results.
President of Italy Sergio Mattarella spoke highly of the contributions of the China-Italy Cultural Cooperation Mechanism and University Presidents' Dialogue to enhance the mutual understanding, friendship, and collaboration of Italian and Chinese people. He said Italy and China are both time-honored civilizations with profound cultural legacies and the two peoples should appreciate and respect each other. Marco Polo's contact with China is a good example of mutual learning by the East and the West. Both parties should draw lessons from the past, carry on the friendship, and build more channels for people-to-people exchanges. We should strengthen unity against confrontation to provide a solid foundation and support for the development of the Italy-China comprehensive strategic partnership.
▲ Before the meeting, the two heads of state took a group photo with representatives of the two sides. Photo by Shen Hong, Xinhua News Agency
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership and the booming educational exchanges and collaboration between China and Italy. As one of the first universities in China to set Italian major, the Communication University of China started to offer Italian courses in 1960, an old partner of Italian peers in close educational collaboration and the cradle of many top Italian talents in China. In 2003, the Communication University of China concluded a cooperation agreement with Università per Stranieri di Perugia to pioneer the “3+1” Joint Education Programs in China, now an established, 21-year-old collaboration achievement.
▲ A group photo of Italian major students of the Class of 2021 and their teachers at Università per Stranieri di Perugia
We have maintained good cooperation with a number of Italian universities and colleges, such as the Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, the Università degli Studi di Milano, the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (CSC), the Università di Siena, and the Università di Macerata, among others, with school leaders from both sides visiting each other multiple times. Stefania Gianini visited our school, who served as the Principal of Università per Stranieri di Perugia and was subsequently appointed as the Minister of the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities, and Research, is now the Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO, and she visited our school.
In close academic exchanges and collaboration with many Italian universities, the Communication University of China launched the World Women University Presidents Forum in 2001 and invited many Italian women university presidents to attend this event, including Tizian Lippiello, current president of Università degli Studi di Venezia and member of the Executive Committee of the Confederation of Italian University Rectors.
Leveraging our academic strengths, our teachers and students actively participate in a range of cultural events organized by the Italian Government, including the Venice International Film Festival, the Asti International Film Festival, the Milano International FICTS Festival, and the Cartoon Club International Animation Film Festival. On numerous occasions, they have garnered multiple awards.
（Editor: Zhu Binger）
