Police partnership a cultural showcase

ROME - Police officers and dignitaries from China and Italy - as well as hundreds of photo-snapping passers-by - were in Rome's picturesque Piazza Navona on Monday for an ornate ceremony held to symbolically mark the start of the third year of law enforcement cooperation between the two countries.

The 10 Chinese police officers on hand in Rome will also travel to Milan, Venice and Prato, the Tuscan city that has the largest Chinese population in Italy. A similar ceremony will take place in September in Beijing.

Li Ruiyu, Chinese ambassador to Italy, Prefect Nicolo Marcello D'Angelo and Paolo D'Ambola, director of the service for international police cooperation, were at the ceremony that featured an Italian corps of horseback musicians.

After the ceremony, D'Angelo praised the China-Italy program that was launched in 2016, and said it was important to commemorate international cooperation efforts with such ceremonies.

"These kinds of cooperation programs are becoming more important and it is a symbolic way to celebrate them by gathering in one of the most beautiful squares under the sun in this city," D'Angelo said. "Our two countries will only grow closer over time. We are like a big family."

Some of the Chinese officers on hand for the ceremony had prepared for years.

Li Xiang, a 28-year-old officer from Xi'an, studied the Italian language for four years and was on his third trip to Italy. He said he first became interested in Italian culture as a boy because of soccer, and he said he counts himself as a fan of the AC Milan team.

"These exchanges are important as a way to enforce the law and to learn and build ties with colleagues from other countries," Li said.

Zhang Hailin, another officer from Guangzhou, agreed: "To be selected for this program and to travel here is a great honor," he said.

Despite the musical band on horseback, the singer, the officers in the program, and the high-level dignitaries at Piazza Navona, the biggest attraction was probably two high-end sports cars used as police vehicles: a Lamborghini and a Lotus Evora.

Dozens of tourists - including several from China - waited in line to pose for pictures next to the vehicles, as well as the uniformed officers safeguarding them.

Italians at the event said they enjoyed its cultural blend.

Annalisa Mancini, a 47-year-old schoolteacher from Brindisi, southern Italy, was in Rome with a group of students.

"Ceremonies like this are very beautiful," Mancini said. "When you see two cultures together like this, it's a good reminder that there is more to the world than what we see around us. I told the students this shows we are part of a big and diverse world."

Xinhua

(China Daily 05/30/2018 page11)