On July 6, 2009, visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao met in Rome, Italy with Gianfranco Fini, president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies.

Hu said that since the establishment of the all-round strategic partnership between China and Italy in 2004, bilateral exchanges and cooperation in all areas have been deepening. Amid the spreading global financial crisis, developing China-Italy cooperation of mutual benefit is of greater realistic significance. Hu urged both sides to join hands to translate the crisis into opportunities and make full use of complementary advantages to consolidate and expand pragmatic cooperation. He also urged both sides to enhance cooperation on new energy, environment protection and other high technical areas and cultivate new growth points for economic and trade cooperation. China and Italy share identical or similar positions on many major international and regional issues. China is ready to strengthen communication and cooperation with Italy on such issues as tackling the global financial crisis, pushing forward the reform of the international financial system, jointly opposing trade and investment protectionism and coping with climate change, said the Chinese president. He also called for joint efforts to build a harmonious world featuring lasting peace and common prosperity.

Hu said the exchange between the legislative bodies of the two countries is an important component of the China-Italy all-round strategic partnership. Over the years, the Italian Chamber of Deputies has maintained friendly exchanges with the National People's Congress (NPC) of China. China supports the legislative bodies of the two countries to engage in exchanges and expand cooperation and is ready to deepen friendly relations between the NPC of China and the Italian Chamber of Deputies. He hoped that the two legislative bodies will continue to carry out multi-level exchanges in various forms, especially on legislation and supervision, and make greater contributions to pushing forward bilateral ties.

Fini extended warm welcome to President Hu's visit on behalf of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, saying that with the joint efforts of both sides, Italy-China all-round strategic partnership has been developing smoothly. He expressed belief that Hu's current visit will help lift bilateral ties to a higher level. Despite the distance keeping the two countries apart, both sides share many identical or similar views in culture and other fields. The "Chinese Culture Year" to be held next year in Italy is a good opportunity for deepening mutual understanding between the two countries, said Fini. The exchange between the two governments is very significant and meanwhile the two legislatures are also ready to make positive contributions to the development of bilateral ties. Fini also appreciated China's efforts in coping with the global financial crisis.

Wang Huning and Dai Bingguo attended the meeting.