On August 25, 2020 local time, during his visit to Italy, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke on the phone with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who was outside of Rome.

Wang Yi conveyed the warm greetings from Chinese leaders to Giuseppe Conte, and thanked Giuseppe Conte for exchanging views on the phone during his vacation. Wang Yi said, this is the first visit by the Chinese foreign minister to Europe after the pandemic broke out, and Italy is chosen as my first stop, which sends out a clear signal that the Chinese side attaches importance to Italy. The two countries and peoples have supported each other and overcome difficulties together, setting an example of cooperation in fighting the epidemic in the world. Bilateral relations have also been further elevated in the joint fight against the epidemic. Facts have shown that solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapons for the international community to fight the epidemic, and also the most effective prescriptions for restoring economic and social development in the next stage.

Wang Yi said, China and Italy, as good partners, have fought shoulder to shoulder during the outbreak of the COVID-19, and should seek common development after the baptism of the epidemic. Today, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and I have summed up the development experience of China-Italy relations in the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, and jointly planed the development of bilateral relations in the next 50 years. We agree to take promoting the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative as an important driving force, take adhering to multilateralism as a common philosophy, and take promoting dialogue and cooperation among different civilizations as due obligations, in a bid to promote the all-round development of China-Italy relations. The Chinese side supports the Italian side in taking over the presidency of the G20 next year, and is willing to work with the Italian side to strengthen coordination and cooperation, jointly safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core, reinforce cooperation in global governance, safeguard the multilateral trade system, and build an open world economy, so as to make positive contributions to world peace and development in the post-pandemic era. The Chinese side attaches great importance to China-European Union (EU) relations. The Chinese side is willing to conduct communication and exchanges with the EU side in the spirit of mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs. The Chinese side is glad to see the Italian side play a positive role in this regard.

Giuseppe Conte asked Wang Yi to convey his sincere greetings and best wishes to President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. On behalf of the Italian government and people, he thanked the Chinese side for its valuable support in the fight against the epidemic. Giuseppe Conte said, the friendship between the two peoples has grown stronger with the passing of time, and the signing of the memorandum of understanding on cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative between Italy and China has provided important development opportunities for Italy. The Italian side hopes to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries in energy, industry, economy, trade and other fields, and promote bilateral economic and trade relationship to be more balanced. The Italian side is willing to play an important role in promoting the healthy development of EU-China relations, and expects that both sides will complete the negotiations on the investment agreement as scheduled and sign the agreement on geographical indications as soon as possible. The Italian side firmly supports multilateralism and advocates that the problems and challenges facing the world today should be solved by multilateral power rather than unilateral approaches.