Romano Prodi Speaks on Europe-China Relations at NSD

Oct 31-2023   

On October 23, Mr. Romano Prodi, former President of the European Commission and former Prime Minister of Italy, delivered a public speech at the NSD with the theme ‘Partnership, Peace and Prosperity: Reflections on Future-Proof Europe-China Relations’.

Mr. Prodi was born in Reggio Emilia in northern Italy. From 1996 to 1998 and from 2006 to 2008, he was twice Prime Minister of Italy. From 1999 to 2004, he was President of the European Commission. Under his leadership, the euro was successfully launched, the European Union was enlarged to include ten new members from the Middle East and southern Europe, and the EU Constitutional Treaty was signed by all EU members.

In his speech, Mr. Prodi traced his early ties with China and his contacts and collaborations with Chinese leaders and partners. Regarding Europe-China relations, he thoroughly presented its development and milestones in recent years, shared his interpretation of the impact of some major events on the two parties, and summed up the EU’s development trajectory. At last, he analyzed the causes of the latest developments in Europe-China relations, and gave his take on the outlook for Europe-China relations, particularly highlighting the importance of cooperation. He pointed out that despite some newly-emerged obstacles, collaboration in many fields, including environmental protection, is inevitable. He advocated that the two sides work towards such goals.

Prof. Huang Yiping, Deputy Dean of the NSD, participated in the event and made the opening remarks. Prof. Liu Shiyao, Adjunct Professor of both the NSD and PKU Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development, hosted the event. Among the audience were many PKU faculty members and students.