On March 21, Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Rome for a state visit to Italy, and he met with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on March 23. This significant day witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance the construction of the Belt and Road and the joint efforts in Sino-Italian cultural and economic communication. On this day, Italy becomes the first G7 nation to officially join China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and during the state visit, 29 agreements have been signed between China and Italy with a total economic value of 2.5 billion euros (2.8 billion US dollars).

In recent years, Sino-Italian bilateral cooperation has significantly developed in fields involving industrial manufacturing, modern agriculture, transportation infrastructure, energy conservation, environmental protection, etc. This systematic and in-depth cooperation is manifested statistically in a total volume exceeding 50 billion U.S. dollars in 2018.

In August 2018, Italy’s Ministry of Economic Development (MISE) launched the Task Force China, an initiative drawn up by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Economic Development Hon. Di Maio and the Under Secretary of State for Trade and Foreign Investment Michele Geraci. There are two main purposes of this initiative. One is to strengthen the bilateral relationship between China and Italy, and the second purpose is to ascend Italy to a leadership position in Europe contextualized by challenges and opportunities brought by China’s BRI and Made in China 2025 Initiative.

In retrospect, China and Italy are respectively situated at the two ends of the ancient Silk Road. From the ancient Chinese capital Chang'an (now Xi'an) to Rome, Italy, the long trade route stretches over 6,440 kilometers across the Eurasia, and it has been honorably recognized as the intersection between ancient Eastern and Western civilization. The prosperous trade route once endured an overall decline after Ming Dynasty, resulting from the strict isolationist foreign policy. However, Chinese modernizing process complying with the globalization trend and the BRI have helped the ancient Silk Road to regain its vitality.The year of 2019 is the 15th year of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Italy, and this year is also expected to witness the building of a deeper Sino-Italian partnership.

It is worth noticing that the monumental event of Italy joining BRI owes much to the Under Secretary of State for Trade and Foreign Investment Prof. Geraci. He is one of key officials drafting the framework of MoU. Intriguingly, his story with China has started long before his furtherance of Italy’s signing of BRI. He has been living in China since 2008, and he scored great achievements by working as the Head of China Economic Research Program at the Business School in University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC); Head of China at the Global Policy Institute and Adjunct Professor of Finance at New York University, Shanghai and at Zhejiang University.

Geraci has influenced many China's youth, including in his teaching of finance in University of Nottingham Ningbo China for over 6 years.

In March 2019, CGTN interviewed one of his students Chen Kaikun, and he commented Prof. Geraci with profound reverence, “My professor Geraci has done in-depth field researches in China's rural areas. It is his inquisitiveness and independent thinking that helps him to gain a comprehensive insight of China. His spirit of effortlessly seeking truth is what I truly admire.” Geraci is so popular among his students that some have even designed T-shirts and cakes featuring his profile.

Geraci is very strict with his students in giving assignments and marking. He often emphasizes in the class that “In the workplaces full of competition, if you cannot digest the new knowledge and complete your work efficiently, your personal value will be outweighed by others’. That is why you students have to submit your assignments of this lesson tonight at 8pm!”

Despite his in-depth academic research of Chinese economy, Michele Geraci also receives intensive media focus. He is frequently invited to share his insights of China's economic development by well-known media, including CCTV, Italian mainstream press Rai and BBC. He is also a regular contributor to China Daily and Caixin Magazine. He was selected twice by the Italian media as one of the 50 most influential Italians in China and was honored with the title of Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy (Cavaliere dell’Ordine Della Stella D'Italia), one of Italy’s highest honors, by president of Italian Republic, Mattarella in 2016.

In the interview by CGTN, Geraci proudly looked forward to the Sino-Italian prospect in terms of international diplomacy and economic cooperation, “No matter how my job changes, I would always be the bridge to connect China and Italy. My job here at Nottingham (UNNC) has always been helping Italian political leaders and entrepreneurs to draw some practical experiences from China to boost Italian economy. Thanks to the long history between China and Italy, the Sino-Italian friendship is highly expected to continue in the new era.”

(Executive Editor: Yongliu He)