During the dialogue, a series of cooperation agreements on academic research and exchange were signed between 11 Chinese and Italian universities, along with the launch of the Italy leg of a high-level initiative to double the scale of European youth exchanges in China.

In a separate development, Italian President Sergio Mattarella also spoke of the significance of academic exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Italian universities when delivering a speech at Peking University on Saturday night. Mattarella is on a state visit to China from Nov 7 to 12.

"Academic exchanges can help raise people's awareness of the importance of peace, and universities can deepen international cooperation, enhance cultural dialogue, enrich cultural interaction channels, cultivate a mindset of peaceful progress, and contribute to shaping a global consensus on world peace," said Mattarella.