People, Planet and Prosperity

Editor’s Note: The Covid-19 has severely hit people all over the world, not only affecting health but also harming trust. Can we rebuild trust between nations? For the EU and China, how can the two sides promote cooperation while dealing with their disputes? David Gosset, the founder of Europe-China Forum, discussed with Michele Cecchi who is the Consul General of Italy in Shanghai. Mr. Cecchi was the First Counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Italy to the EU in Brussels. He was awarded the Knight of the Order of Merit of the Republic in 2010.

A Time of Collaboration, hosted by Mr. Gosset, is a high-level dialogue with international veteran diplomats, business elites and outstanding scholars. The serial interviews are presented by China Focus in association with DG2CI Limited.

David Gosset: People, planet, prosperity, these are the priorities of the Italian Presidency of the G20. We need, in order to reach these objectives, collaboration, cooperation. How do we foster the collaborative spirit?

Michele Cecchi: As an old saying goes, if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, then go together. Since we are here in Shanghai, let me stress how Italy and China, two of the most ancient civilizations in the West and in the East, our friendship comes from far away, but it’s a good example. It has been developing itself through exchanges in goods, and through exchanges in ideas between scholars, such as Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi, who have promoted and fostered dialogue. So, we are close friends that work together to foster multilateralism and to implement global solutions for common challenges.

Of course, this requires dialogue, trust, mutual understanding, and the awareness of the common responsibility that, as G20 countries, the 20 largest economies in the world, we share. And of course, the COVID-19 crisis has severely hit people all over the world, affecting the lives, jobs, social cohesion, human relations. If you see the expectations, especially of the young generations, they are deteriorating everywhere in the world. So, that’s why, as G20 countries, we have the responsibility not only to tackle both the health and economic crisis, but also to look beyond the crisis and work for a juster, for more sustainable, and more resilient recovery. This entails the concept of trust.

When we talk about trust, I think that it’s time also to rethink the concept of growth itself, for instance, going beyond GDP as the parameter to measure wellbeing. As the Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz pointed out, if we measure the wrong things, we will take the wrong decisions. That’s why we need new incentives, new parameters, new ideas, new infrastructures to orient decision-makers to take the right decision, to go towards a more sustainable economy, more sustainable society.

This is particularly true when it comes to the planet. We have the responsibility to tackle climate change, global heating, bio-diversity loss to promote energy efficiency, the sustainability of mobility. And of course, I think the right incentives need to be put in place for the market because the market and private players are key. As Europeans, as we are, I think we have to be proud that the EU has a leading role to play thanks to its Green Deal.

Finally, prosperity. Prosperity means to make sure this prosperity becomes inclusive, to make sure, for instance, that processes, as the digitalization one, go to the benefit of all countries in the world, to all layers in the society, to have really inclusive prosperity, to work on the reduction of the digital divide and on sustainable infrastructures.

David Gosset: Thank you very much. You are a diplomat. Would you say that diplomacy is the art of forging cooperation?

Michele Cecchi: Yes, diplomacy is about building bridges of dialogue.

If you allow me a metaphor, as diplomats, we are like the Vestals in ancient Rome. We have to keep the flame alive also in times of obscurity. Apart from jokes, as diplomats, our mission is to find and work on things that unite us instead of highlighting things that divide us. Again, Italy and China provide a good example. During the last 50 years, diplomacy has provided the ideal framework of cooperation on culture, on people-to-people exchanges, on science and technologies, on trade, and on global challenges.

David Gosset: Thank you very much. Of course, Italy is a part of the EU, and the relationships between the EU and China are so important for the people, for the planet, and for the shared prosperity. Where would you see the EU and China cooperating more?

Michele Cecchi: Italy supports the development of a comprehensive relationship between the EU and China. This passes also through strengthening principles such as reciprocity, level playing field, and fair competition across all areas of cooperation. That’s why we welcome the signature of the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment. And also, in this respect, allow me, David, Italy has played the role of the front runner with the signature of the MoU in March 2019. We look forward also to the implementation of the agreement on the protection of geographical indications. Against the background of these very pragmatic trade agreements, I believe that global challenges are the privileged ground for cooperation for the EU and China in the future on issues such as global public goods, health, climate change. They are both at the same time a challenge, but also the opportunity for the EU and China to strengthen this cooperation. I look forward to the COP 26, which will be co-chaired by Italy and the UK, as really the opportunity for Europe and China to be the drivers of change to spur the international community to take action on climate.

David Gosset: Thank you very much for everything you are doing to foster the relations between your country, Italy and China, but also the EU and China. And we wish you a great G20. The world needs a successful G20 this year. Thank you very much.

Michele Cecchi: Thank you very much, David.