Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming visits to three European countries namely Italy, Monaco and France will inject new impetus into China-EU relations, open up new space for Belt and Road Initiative cooperation and make contributions to world peace and development, China's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
China's Vice Foreign Minister Wang Chao made the remarks at Wednesday's media briefing regarding the president's visits, which would be Xi's first trip abroad in 2019.
Wang said the visits, stretching from March 21 to 26 will see a wide range of exchanges and meetings between President Xi and leaders from Italy, Monaco and France.
Speaking on skeptics regarding Italy joining China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Wang said doubts and misunderstanding are inevitable to new things, saying facts are the "best proof".
"Over 150 countries, regions, and international organizations have signed onto BRI cooperation documents, most of them have benefited from it," Wang told reporters. "If China and Italy can reach an agreement on BRI, it will bring good influence to economic cooperation between the two sides."
