Former Italian Prime Minister and former Chairman of the European Commission Romano Prodi said in an interview with the Global Times in Beijing that it is not easy to promote China-European cooperation in the current international political situation, but we have no choice, we must do so.

The "Mingde Strategic Dialogue (2025)" hosted by Renmin University of China and organized by the Chongyang Institute of Finance and the School of Global Leadership of Renmin University of China was held in Beijing on October 17. Romano Prodi made the above statement in an interview with a reporter from the Global Times on the sidelines of the meeting. Prodi served as Italian Prime Minister twice from 1996 to 1998 and from 2006 to 2008, and is known as one of the founders of the "Italian School of Industrial Economics".

Prodi told reporters such as the Global Times that he firmly believes that China-European cooperation is not only beneficial to each other¡¯s development but also to the welfare of the world. China and Europe are the most important players in global cooperation. Only through dialogue can China and Europe their respective development goals. In the past few decades, China-Europe has never been an enemy. Even if we can¡¯t be ¡®brothers¡¯, we should also strive to be ¡®good cousins¡¯ to better cooperation.¡±

In his speech at the "Mingde Strategic Dialogue (2025)" on 17th, Prodi expressed the hope that China and the EU would have better cooperation. Today, China's role is becoming more and more important, and China is increasingly standing at the center of the world. Looking back on the past, countries around the world, especially China, have achieved rapid development, and China has become an important leader in emerging fields such as solar energy and electric vehicles. China has a large number of excellent engineers, and its private economy is active and innovative, and it is increasingly international. In particular, he emphasized that China's market is huge and its development characteristics are distinctive, and these unique advantages are important assets.

The former Italian prime minister said that at present, globalization and anti-globalization coexist, and the world is divided. We need to jointly examine the underlying reasons for this situation. Nowadays, international organizations are facing challenges, trade is hindered and cooperation is reduced. In this context, globalization requires the joint efforts of all countries, and the United States, the European Union and other countries should strengthen cooperation. Although different countries have different backgrounds, efforts should be made to establish a "cousin" cooperative relationship. On the other hand, China's modernization process is unique and rapid, with outstanding achievements in infrastructure development, and it has changed from a follower to a leader in many fields. Faced with the increasingly serious obstacles to technological development caused by political factors, all countries should work together to overcome the negative impact of political differences.

¡°I think we must do everything we can to drive a new round of globalization,¡± Prodi said in an interview with reporters such as the Global Times, ¡°although this is not easy because different countries have different traditions, interests and goals, this (new) link must be very flexible in respecting the specific circumstances and characteristics of each country.¡±

With the theme of "Chinese-style modernization, new kinetic energy of globalization", the "Mingde Strategic Dialogue (2025)" features former politicians, well-known scholars, opinion leaders and media representatives from the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, Poland, Germany and other countries. Focusing on the two topics of "China's economy and global development: growth, openness and security" and "AI era and digital civilization: cooperation or competition?", we jointly discussed global governance, technological revolution and future development of mankind under the changing world. Before attending the forum, guests from all over the world went deep into Shanghai, Zhejiang and other places to conduct research, visited landmark enterprises and demonstration zones of China's scientific and technological innovation and industrial upgrading, and felt the pulse of China's development.

At the forum, the Chongyang Financial Research Institute of the National People's Congress also released five major research results, including the research report "Uncertainty amidst Uncertainty: Global 2050 Assessment and Future Prospects" and four new books: "European and American Academic Circles Perceptions of Chinese-style Modernization-Mingde Strategic Dialogue 2024","China in the International Fierce Battle-Dialogue with 16 Famous Experts from the United States, Europe and Russia","The World's View of China in the New Era 2025" and "National Compound Interest Development and China's Development Advantages".