China Wants To Develop Cooperation With Italy In Telecommunications Sector - Beijing

Beijing intends to further develop its cooperation with Italy and other EU countries in telecommunications sector, including the building of the fifth-generation mobile phone network, Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Wang Chao said on Wednesday

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th March, 2019) Beijing intends to further develop its cooperation with Italy and other EU countries in telecommunications sector, including the building of the fifth-generation mobile phone network, Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Wang Chao said on Wednesday.

Wang's statement comes ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Italy, Monaco and France, which will start on Thursday.

"Beijing intends to support Chinese enterprises in developing telecommunications cooperation with Italy ... China is already cooperating with the European Union in telecommunications sector, in particular in the area of 5G technology. For example, in 2015, China and the EU signed a joint communique on bilateral cooperation on 5G," the diplomat told a news conference.

The 2015 agreement was signed during the EU-China High Level Economic and Trade Dialogue in Beijing. The sides agreed to strengthen their cooperation to promote global standardization for 5G and explore opportunities for implementing joint research in this area, among other matters.

During Xi's visit, Italy and China are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding cementing Rome's support for China's Belt and Road Initiative. However, Rome reportedly said last week the memorandum did not include any agreement on 5G.

The use of 5G technology has become a topical issue after the Chinese telecom giant Huawei faced allegations over its ties with the Chinese government and suspicion Beijing could use its equipment for spying, something the company has denied.