ROME, Oct. 14 -- Better China-Italy ties coulf offer better opportunities for expanding China-Europe cooperation, Chinese Ambassador to Italy Li Ruiyu told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The China-Italy relationship has been taking a front seat in the overall China-Europe ties, said Li.

Italy, as the European Union (EU)'s current rotating chair, is expected to play a more active role in enhancing Europe-China ties and thus create better chances for developing that relationship, he said.

China and Italy have maintained close high-level contacts and intensive exchanges of top-level visits, said the ambassador, citing Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's trip to China in June and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's upcoming visit to Italy.

In addition, the ambassador noted that bilateral trade between China and Italy has witnessed rapid growth these years, while the trade volume exceeded 43.33 billion U.S. dollars last year, up 3.9 percent from the previous year, and posted a more optimistic 10.9-percent year-on-year rise during the first eight months of this year.

As for bilateral people-to-people exchanges, he said more than one million Chinese tourists visit Italy every year, and with around 14,000 Chinese students now in Italy, more and more Chinese are coming for study. Meanwhile, an increasing number of young Italians are ready to go studying in China or working for bilateral interaction and collaboration, he added.

During Renzi's visit to China in June, the two nations issued a three-year action plan covering cooperation in areas of trade, industries and investment, finance, business, tourism and visits, and technological innovation, he said.

Under the plan, in order to expand bilateral trade, the two sides will promote cooperation in environmental protection and energy, agricultural products and processing, food security, urbanization, medicine, health and aviation. The plan will help economic and social development and benefit the two peoples, the envoy stressed.

He hailed Italy as a key EU member and one of China's closest friends within the European bloc.

He told Xinhua he looks forward to seeing Italy play an even greater role in pushing forward the China-Europe ties, so that the advancement of China-Italy relations and those between China and Europe can be a positive force promoting the development of the other.

Over the past four decades, China and Italy have gradually formed a cooperation model featuring complementary development, comprehensive and in-depth exchanges, and mutually beneficial and win-win results, the ambassador said, noting that this has set a good example for other European nations in their cooperation with China.

The success of the development of the China-Italy relationship and pragmatic cooperation will be conducive to the further deepening of the comprehensive strategic cooperation between China and Europe, he said.

In Italy, the Chinese premier will hold talks with Italian leaders, and cement the political mutual trust between the two countries, according to the ambassador. The premier will also attend the 10th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Milan.

The ambassador lauded the huge potential to be tapped into in the cooperation between Asian and European countries.

Growth can be effectively promoted, market size enlarged, and employment improved, should the two sides strengthen their dialogues on macro-economic policies, and coordinate and deepen pragmatic cooperation in various spheres, he said.

The two sides are also set to strengthen their pragmatic cooperation, the ambassador said, adding that he is confident that the premier's visit will lift bilateral relations to a newer level, which will benefit the two countries and peoples.