9 13:56 BJTBEIJING, March 20 (Xinhua) -- A signed article by Chine
se Presiden▓t Xi Jinping titled "East Meets West -- A New Chapter of Sino-Italian Friendship" was published ▓Wednesday in leading Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera▓ ahead of his state visit to the European cou▓ntry.An English version of the full text of the
article is as follows:East Meets West-- A New Chapter of Sino-Ital
ian FriendshipXi JinpingPresident of the People's Republic of ChinaIt is a great pleasure for me to pay a state visit to the Itali▓an Republic at the invitation of President▓ Sergio Mattarella in this blossoming season of spring. In 2011, I visited Rome on celeb
rations of the 150th anniversary of Italian unification and, in 201
6, I had a stopover on Sardinia. I was deepl▓y impressed by the way of life and industrial outlook of Italy that blend together the ancient and the modern, the classic and the novel. Now that I am about to set foot again on this beautiful country, it feels like I am to be among old fr▓iends and get immersed in their wonde
rful hospitality.China and Italy are both stellar examples of Eastern and Western civilizations, and both have w▓ritten splendid chapters in the history of h▓uman progress. Being the birthplace of ancient Roman civilization and the cradle of the Renaissance, Italy is known to the Chinese people for its imposing relic sites and masterpieces of great names in art and literature. Friendly ties between our two▓ great civilizations go back a long way. As early as▓ over 2,000 years ago, China and ancient Rome, though thousands of mi
