China provides "an irreplaceable opportunity for the Italian agriculture," said Italian Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies Paolo De Castro.

China should also serve as a key "reference point" for Italian enterprises and Italian agriculture" in their globalization process, he said in a recent interview with Xinhua before his first China trip.

"We are the fifth largest European investor in China after Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and France," he said, noting that "we have to do more."

He expected Italy's exports to China to grow, to which the Italian food sector can make more contribution.

"The West was one of the sources of inspiration of the Chinese economic miracle, but nowadays China, with its old civilization and increasing development, can be an important source of inspiration for all of us," said De Castro, noting China should not be regarded as a threat.

The total amount of Italian agricultural food exports to China in 2005 hit 31 million euros (39.68 million U.S. dollars), a 17-percent up compared with the figure of 2004, said the minister, who was confident of a better performance of Italian products in China.

De Castro, after Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi's recent trip to China, will visit Beijing and Shanghai from Tuesday to Thursday together with Minister of State Guido Tampieri, a high level ministerial delegation and representatives of the trade associations.

In Beijing, the minister is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart Du Qinglin on bilateral trade issues and initiatives for simplifying the export process.

"I will mainly focus on the initiatives for enhancing the quality of foods, promoting geographical indications of origin and scientific cooperation in agriculture," he said.

He is also expected to attend the opening ceremony of the Italian agricultural food fair "Vinitaly - Cibus Shanghai 2006."

Source: Xinhua