Chinese and Italian experts believe the Belt and Road Initiative is a great platform for connectivity and expanding win-win cooperation between China and European nations.

Xie Fuzhan, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the largest think tank in China, described the strategies to connect Europe and Asia by the BRI and European Union as “highly compatible” or “overlapping” with each other in many respects. He believes the two strategies should move toward “connectivity”.

The BRI, put forward in 2013, aims to build connectivity between Asia, Europe and Africa.

“The initiative is carried out according to the principle of wide consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. It focuses on building connectivity and is committed to aligning development strategies of relevant countries and regions, complementing each other and achieving win-win and shared development,” Xie said at a forum in Rome on April 17.

The forum, which focuses on the BRI and China’s cooperation with Italy and the EU, was sponsored by the academy and two Italian think tanks－the Istituto Luigi Sturzo and the Center for Contemporary China Studies.

Xie applauded the EU’s strategy for highlighting the significance of connecting Asia and Europe, for its role in promoting economic growth of the region and for advocating “an all-around, sustainable and rules-based connectivity”.

He said that China has found a way to tackle the challenge of financing infrastructure and has also gained rich experience and considerable capacity in infrastructure construction, while Europe boasts a well-developed financial market and a relatively well-developed legal system and rules regarding infrastructure construction.

“Cooperation between China and EU could help realize the great potential of EU’s Connecting Europe and Asia strategy and China’s Belt and Road Initiative,” Xie said.

Xie said he believes the two strategies will be effectively aligned, so long as the two sides uphold the views of open and mutually beneficial cooperation and discard prejudices, resolve misunderstandings, enhance communication and seek consensus in a pragmatic spirit.

“It will become an important platform for achieving mutually beneficial, win-win cooperation between Asia and Europe and for tackling global challenges,” he said.

Agostino Giovagnoli, an executive board member of Istituto Luigi Sturzo and a professor at Catholic University of Milan, applauded Xie’s talk and China’s BRI.

He noted that people-to-people exchanges, as emphasized in the initiative, are especially important. He said that only by boosting the mutual understanding between peoples can the cooperation become stronger.

Alberto Bradanini, chairman of China studies center and a former Italian ambassador to China, said he hopes that by participating in BRI Italy will be able to expand its exports to China. He added that the two ports in which Chinese companies are investing－in Genoa and Triest－will play a big role in the region.

Italy signed a memorandum of understanding with China last month to participate in the BRI.

Brandanini said if the United States abandons its prejudice, the BRI would be of benefit there as well.