More than 35 years have passed since Paolo Panerai, chief-editor and CEO of Italian media group Class Editori, had a conversation with late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, and his affection for China today is stronger than ever.

"A new Silk Road was born in China," Panerai told Xinhua in a recent interview presenting his book Il nuovo milione (The new million), whose title cross-refers to Venetian traveler Marco Polo's travel journal The million, commonly called The travels of Marco Polo.

Panerai recalled he had the precious opportunity to meet Deng in 1978, when an Italian delegation led by then Italian foreign trade minister Rinaldo Ossola provided the first credit line from the Western world to the new China that Deng was forging through historic reforms.

Panerai wrote The new million - published both in Italian and Chinese - to celebrate the friendship between the two countries, which has deepened over the years and was further reinforced by the visit of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Italy on the occasion of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) held in Milan last month.

"China is an extraordinary country, especially for those like me who had the chance to visit it in 1978 and thus experience its big transformations," Panerai highlighted.

The Class Editori's head described to Xinhua the unique memories he treasures in his mind.

"I was staying at the Peace Hotel in Shanghai, when I woke up in the morning with the impression that the Huangpu River had overflown its banks. I looked out the window and saw thousands of bicycles which sounded like water all together," he recalled.

"That China does not exist anymore. It was a China with many romantic aspects, but also with the extraordinary main objective to bring wellness to millions of people, which is what I learnt from my conversation with Deng," he explained.

Panerai said there are still some prejudices against China in the Western world, especially in certain entrepreneurial sectors, but "those who imagine they can halt China's development are trying to stop the wind with a finger."

"In fact I told my grandchildren that they cannot exclude China from their life. It is time to realize that China can be a great opportunity for everybody," he stressed. Enditem

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