Continue to carry out economic cooperation, promote bilateral cultural exchanges, and have two heads of state visit China this week

Global Times reporters in Indonesia and Italy, Li Peisong and Xie Yahong, and Global Times reporter Chen Zishuai, visited China this week. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 5th that, at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Italian President Mattarella will pay state visits to China this week. At the same time, foreign dignitaries such as Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Slovak Prime Minister Fizo are attending the 7th CIIE in Shanghai, China.

The Jakarta Post in Indonesia reported that Prabowo will visit China from November 8th to 10th. The report mentioned that China is the first official country visited by Prabowo after he was sworn in as the President of Indonesia on October 20th. Indonesian media believe that this move indicates that Prabowo will continue the relationship between former President Joko Widodo and Chinese leaders, and prioritize relations with China in his foreign policy.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Xi Jinping will hold a welcoming ceremony for President Prabowo, and the two heads of state will hold talks. Premier Li Qiang and Chairman Zhao Leji will respectively meet with President Prabowo.

Continuing economic cooperation should be the top priority for Prabowo's visit to China. "The Jakarta Post stated that Indonesia's economy" undoubtedly "relies on China, which has been Indonesia's largest trading partner for 11 consecutive years. According to official statistics, trade between China and Indonesia accounted for 25.24% of Indonesia's total trade in 2022. China has been Indonesia's largest source of imports for 13 consecutive years and its largest export destination for 7 consecutive years. According to Indonesian media, most of Indonesia's exports to China are resource-based commodities such as nickel iron, nickel sulfide, thermal coal, liquefied petroleum gas, etc. These commodities accounted for over 60% of Indonesia's exports in 2022. In addition, China is the second largest investor in Indonesia, second only to Singapore.

According to the Indonesian newspaper "Lopan", Prabowo's visit to China is also aimed at enhancing Indonesia's position on the world stage. Previously, Prabowo mentioned in a public speech that he had received invitations from two major countries, China and the United States. Indonesian media revealed that after his visit to China, Prabowo also plans to go to Washington to visit the United States. Indonesian media also mentioned that Prabowo "broke tradition" by visiting China before he was officially inaugurated as the newly elected president.

On the 5th, Liang Haiming, the director of the Silk Road Intelligent Valley Research Institute, told Global Times reporters that Prabowo faced many challenges from both domestic and international sources when he took office as president, including the need to address issues related to economic development, technological progress, national security, and people's well-being; Internationally, efforts are being made to give Indonesia a more important position. Liang Haiming believes that Prabowo's visit to China aims to strengthen cooperation with China, learn from China's experience in the digital economy and high-tech fields, and promote the development of related industries domestically. On the other hand, in the increasingly complex international situation, it is necessary to establish closer relations with China, promote multilateral cooperation mechanisms, and participate more widely in international affairs.

Of course, Prabowo's visit to China is not only to address domestic and international challenges, but also to deepen bilateral relations and promote cooperation and development in multiple fields, "said Liang Haiming.

Italian President Mattarella, who will visit China from November 7th to 12th, has also received attention. According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on the 5th, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Italy. Italian Prime Minister Meloni and President Mattarella have visited China successively, highlighting the high-level development of China Italy relations.

The website of the Italian newspaper "Southern Daily" reported that "it is rare for a prime minister and a head of state to visit China before and after." The report stated that if Meloni's previous visit to China was characterized by politics and economy, then Mattarella's focus was on finding more space for the development of cultural relations between the two countries. According to the Southern Daily, Mattarella's itinerary focuses on cultural activities with the theme of "Marco Polo": he will go to Peking University to give a speech; Visit the exhibition "Legendary Journey: Marco Polo and the World on the Silk Road"; Go to Zhejiang and watch the "Marco Polo" themed opera brought by institutions such as the Venice Conservatory at Zhejiang Conservatory of Music.

The Italian news website "NOVA" stated that this visit aims to consolidate the partnership with China, especially in cultural exchange. The report mentioned that Mattarella will reserve time in Guangzhou, the last stop of this visit, for Italian businessmen to hold talks with them.

Wang Yiwei, director of the European Union Research Center of Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on the 5th that Italy had voted in favour of the EU's vote to levy tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. President Mattarella's visit to China this time means stabilizing Italy China relations. Italy is a parliamentary republic, and the president is more responsible for cultural and other "soft power" exchanges in foreign affairs. Therefore, Italy needs to strengthen its exchanges with China in cultural and other fields to make up for some political and economic differences. Wang Yiwei mentioned that this year marks the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's death, and both sides had previously held a series of related activities.

Wang Yiwei believes that through the visit of the Italian President, both China and Italy will definitely promote more cultural exchange activities, and promote exchanges and mutual learning between China and Italy and Eastern and Western civilizations in the new era.