On August 25, 2020 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio of Italy jointly met the press in Rome.

Wang Yi said, my visit to Europe is the first visit by a Chinese foreign minister since the COVID-19 started to spread worldwide. Italy is the first leg of my visit, which shows the importance of China-Italy relations in China's diplomacy. It also demonstrates the great attention China pays to its relations with Europe.

Wang Yi said, China-Italy relations have withstood the test of COVID-19. Facing the impact of the pandemic, China has stood with Italy and other European countries firmly from the very beginning. During the most difficult time of China's fight against COVID-19, the Italian side rapidly sent out special aircraft with anti-epidemic supplies. Italian President Sergio Mattarella even held a special concert express support for China. When COVID-19 broke out in Italy, the Chinese side felt the same way, and responded to the Italian side's request by mobilizing large quantities of supplies and rushing to its aid. China also sent three teams of medical experts to the hardest-hit areas in Italy, sharing the experiences in fighting the pandemic unreservedly. The mutual assistance between China and Italy comes from the long-standing friendship between the peoples of our two countries, and is based on the Chinese cultural tradition of helping others. It has nothing to do with politics or self-interest from beginning to end. If there is still any talk of "politics of generosity", it is an insult to such humanitarian spirit. The sudden and unexpected outbreak of the pandemic hasn't hurt China-Italy relations. Instead the bilateral relations have stood the test and been strengthened, while playing a role in exploring and carrying out international cooperation in containing the pandemic.