China and Italy Friday have increased consensus on economic cooperation, Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai told a news conference with Italian Trade Minister Emma Bonino.

Bo was leading a Chinese delegation to attend the 8th conference of the China-Italy economic cooperation mixed committee.

At the meeting, Bo and Bonino discussed issues related to agricultural products, textiles, port logistics, two-way investments and cooperation between small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Bo said China would maintain the smooth development of bilateral textile trade and two sides also agreed to further step up technological exchanges in this field.

Bonino said Italy admires China's great achievements in intellectual property rights (IPR) protection efforts, and has responded positively to issues related to China's market economy status.

Both sides have also agreed to set up a Website on China-Italy trade and economic cooperation, to facilitate cooperation between small- and medium-sized enterprises between the two countries. The mixed committee will also meet annually.

After the meeting, the host and guest signed some important agreements.

In recent years, Sino-Italian trade relations have undergone fast development, with two-way trade volume reaching 24.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2006.

Before the meeting, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi met Bo and his delegation.

Source: Xinhua