China, Italy hold 'Silk Road friends' dialogue
- By Chen Boyuan
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E-mail China.org.cn, March 26, 2015
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Vinicio Peluffo, chair of the Parliament Association "Friends of China" [Amici della Cina], and member of the Chamber of Deputies, delivers a keynote speech at the 2015 "Friends on the Silk Road" China-Italy Dialogue on Thursday, March 26, 2015 in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province. [Photo by Chen Boyuan / China.org.cn] |
Italy plays an important role in this framework. It is China's fourth largest commercial partner with around 40 billion euros worth of trade per year. A strategic partnership agreement between the two countries was established in 2004, according to Vinicio Peluffo, chair of the Parliament Association "Friends of China" [Amici della Cina], and member of the Chamber of Deputies.
Peluffo said the Italian delegation to Zhenjiang aims to boost cooperation in energy, especially clean energy.
"Nowadays China is the world's largest energy consumer, a striking figure, especially if we consider that 75 percent of that energy comes from traditional sources like coal," said Peluffo, indicating how the figure will be translated into solid market share and business opportunities for Italy, which plays a leading role in energy use in Europe.
Italy is a leader in Europe for energy efficiency and production from renewable sources, with 104 tons of carbon dioxide emissions for every million euros produced versus 143 tons in Germany and 130 in the United Kingdom, according to Peluffo.
China has reportedly announced it would produce 15 percent of its energy from non-fossil fuel sources by 2020 at the International Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change in 2008. The 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) also established a 16 percent reduction in the energy consumption per unit of GDP.
The China-Italy Dialogue is a special initiative that China wants to employ to strengthen ties with Italy, the two countries on the ends of the Silk Road, ancient and new. Last year, mutual visits paid by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi within four months marked a further step towards consolidating bilateral relations.
The mutual visit saw a Memorandum of understanding between the Zhenjiang Economic and Technological Development Zone (ZETDZ) and GSE [Gestore Servizi Elettrici], an Italian power company.
The Expo 2015, which will be held in Milan from May 1 to October 31, is another link between Italy and China. Peluffo described the Milan Expo's theme as "feeding the planet, energy for life," a continuation of what the Shanghai Expo developed in 2010 with the theme "better cities, better life."
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