The next day, President Xi and President Mattarella took part in the Italy-China Business Forum, the Italian-Chinese Cultural Forum and of the Italy-China Cooperation Forum in Third Countries.[8] They then held a joint press conference at the Quirinale.
He then took part in an arrival ceremony at the Villa Madama by the Arma dei Carabinieri with Prime Minister Conte later in the day. The two countries then signed a memorandum on the advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative. At the end of the talks, a signing ceremony of the agreements and the agreements between Italian and Chinese ministers, officials, and businessmen took place.[9]
The list of documents signed included the following:[10][11]
Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of China and the Government of Italy
Institutional agreements
Commercial agreements
The 29 deals that were signed were worth more than 7 billion euros.[12][13]
In the evening, President Mattarella held a state dinner in honor of President Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan.[14] After the dinner, a concert involving Italian singer and songwriter Andrea Bocelli took place.[15]
Third day (23 March)
Xi left for Monte Carlo, Monaco on the afternoon of 23 March. He was given a farewell ceremony outside the Quirinale by the Italian Armed Forces and was seen off by President Matarella.[16]
France visit
While en route to Paris from Monaco, Xi stopped in the evening of 24 March to the resort city of Nice to meet with President Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron. The two brought their spouses to the seaside village of Beaulieu-sur-Mer, where they dined that night.[17][18]
First Day (25 March)
The next morning, Xi and Macron went to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to attend a welcoming ceremony and a wreath laying ceremony. During the ceremony, Xi met with French war veterans and signed his name in the guest book. Honors were rendered by a quad-service honour guard and the French Republican Guard Band. The two held talks inside the Elysee Palace, before attending the signing of bilateral agreements.[19] 15 commercial agreements were signed, including a $34 billion between the China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CASC) and European aerospace corporation Airbus. Deals were also signed between various energy corporations and shipping lines.[20][21][22]
On 25 March, Xi was honoured with a state dinner at the Elysee Palace by President Macron. Guests included French actor Alain Delon, French-Chinese painter Yan Pei-Ming and Chinese actress Gong Li.[23]
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