Photo via Xinhua

President Xi Jinping will pay states visit to Italy, Monaco, and France from March 21 to 26, marking the presidents first state visits of the year, which carry the expectation that mutual ties will be boosted between China and the EU.

As the world’s largest developing country and the largest national union, China and the European Union (EU) are important forces in the international community to boost economic development and cultural exchange.

Italy is the first stop of Xi Jinping’s trip to Europe and also the first visit by a Chinese president in a decade, Xinhua reported.

Earlier this month, before China announced the visit, Italy made known its interest in joining the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which would make Italy the first G7 member to join the initiative.

Besides the potential BRI cooperation, China and Italy are expected to enhance comprehensive collaboration this year, as 2019 marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between two countries, and the two countries will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year.

China and Monaco have maintained frequent friendly exchanges. Prince Albert II, head of state of the Principality of Monaco, has made 10 visits to China. As a member of the International Olympic Committee, he actively supported and participated in major events held in China, including the Beijing Olympic Games and Nanjing Youth Olympic Games, according to Chinese state media.

Currently, China is vigorously promoting ecological civilization and actively participating in the multilateral climate governance process. As a country with a unique urban development model, Monaco will see deeper cooperation with China in the coming years, which could set a model for friendly exchanges between large and small countries.

As the first Western county to establish diplomatic ties with People’s Republic of China, France and China have promoted multi-level cooperation on combating terrorism, resolving climate change issues, and safeguarding multilateralism.