Senior Chinese and Italian officials agreed in Rome Tuesday that cooperation between the two nations is on the upswing and bilateral ties will have a bright future.

This was the consensus reached by He Guoqiang, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and Italian Prime Minister and leader of the People of Freedom Party Silvio Berlusconi when they met in the Italian capital.

The Chinese official said since the leaders of the two nations agreed to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2004, bilateral cooperation has seen vigorous growth in all fields.

A sound momentum is evident in the development of bilateral ties, as the two countries are deepening their political mutual trust, and maintaining frequent exchange of high-level visits, and economic and trade cooperation to tackle the international financial crisis are in full swing. The two sides have also maintained close communication and coordination on international and regional issues, he said.

China is confident in the prospect of Sino-Italian relations, said He, who is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

On world economic situation, the Chinese official said the global economy has shown signs of recovery and growth after the financial crisis, but the foundation for recovery is yet to be further consolidated.

Therefore, he said, it is crucial for all countries to upgrade coordination and cooperation on macro economic policy, oppose any form of protectionism, and improve the structure of global governance, so as to achieve a complete economic recovery and sustainable development.

The Chinese official said China has followed closely the European debt crisis and supported the measures taken by countries hit by the crisis, the EU and international financial organizations.

Berlusconi, for his part, said China's achievements in socio-economic development should be attributed mainly to the correct leadership of the Communist Party of China and the political system with Chinese characteristics.

The Italian leader said he is fully confident that China's development will continue to benefit the rest of the world including Italy.

Berlusconi added that China's proposal for building a harmonious world could provide a solution to problems emerging in today's world political and economic landscape that is undergoing profound and complicated changes.

On Tuesday morning, He also held talks with Pier Luigi Bersani, chairman of the Democratic Party of Italy, and both sides reached wide-ranging consensus on further developing party-to-party relations.

Following the discussion, Wang Jiarui, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Bersani on expanding exchange and cooperation between the CPC and the Italian party.

He Guoqiang concluded his visit to Italy Tuesday afternoon and arrived in Iceland in the evening to continue his five-nation tour that will also take him to Norway, Lithuania and Turkmenistan.