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BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping and Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Sunday respectively sent congratulatory letters to the opening ceremony of an exhibition on the origin of Italy.

China and Italy are outstanding representatives of Eastern and Western civilizations. This exhibition will show the rich Italian culture with a variety of precious antiques, Xi said in his letter to the exhibition that features ancient Roman civilization.

He hoped that this will be an opportunity for the China-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism to promote exchanges and mutual learning between the two civilizations, strengthen bonds between people from the two countries, and inject new vitality into bilateral ties.

Mutual respect, solidarity, and harmonious coexistence are the right path for the development of human civilization, Xi noted.

He added that China is willing to work with the international community to promote equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness among civilizations, to replace estrangement with exchange, clashes with mutual learning, superiority with coexistence, and to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Mattarella said in his congratulatory letter that cultural cooperation is an important part of Italy-China friendship. Against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic, Italy is holding an exhibition of ancient Roman civilization, and a series of Italy-China Year of Culture and Tourism activities in China, which fully prove the depth of bilateral relations.

At present, the international community is facing many challenges, and only unity and cooperation can lead to fair and lasting solutions, Mattarella said, believing that Italy and China will continue to deepen bilateral relations and jointly safeguard world peace and stability.