Xi Urges Effort to Cement Ties with France

CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Monday, March 25, 2019 | 3 XI'S VISIT Striking a deal Chinese Xi urges effort opera to be staged to cement ties in Italy By CHEN NAN with France [email protected] The original Chinese opera Marco Polo, based on the story of President wants two nations to advance the Venetian explorer who trav cooperation, jointly reject protectionism eled along the ancient Silk Road in the 13th century, will be staged in September at the Teatro Carlo By CAO DESHENG “We need to join hands to tackle Felice in Genoa, Italy, and then [email protected] challenges, promote global prosper go on tour in Italy. ity and stability and build a commu Composed and written in Chi China and France should work nity with a shared future for nese and performed by Western together to safeguard multilateral mankind,” he added. and Chinese singers, the work is ism and to cement their ties with the Xi expressed firm resolve to President Xi Jinping and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte (both seated), witness the signing of the first original Chinese opera principles of independence, open expand China’s openingup and said a memorandum of understanding on joint construction of the Belt and Road between He Lifeng, produced by Guangzhou Opera ness, winwin inclusiveness, mutual the country’s door will continue to head of the National Development and Reform Commission, and Luigi Di Maio, Italian deputy prime House for the Silk Road Interna learning and a strong sense of open wider. minister, in Rome on Saturday. FENG YONGBIN / CHINA DAILY tional League of Theaters, which responsibility, President Xi Jinping “I hope our two countries will was initiated by the China Arts said. continue to stand together to une and Entertainment Group in 2016. Xi made the remarks in a signed quivocally reject protectionism, The league — representing 107 article published in France’s Le Figa uphold an open world economy and members from 37 countries and ro daily newspaper on Saturday make economic globalization more regions — serves as a platform ahead of his state visit to France. open, inclusive, balanced and bene Monaco ballet’s Cinderella enchants for the performing arts and was Xi recalled his first state visit to ficial for all,” Xi said. set up to promote cultural the country five years ago and said He called on the two countries to By CHENG YUEZHU the characters are taken from a sto troupe of the Principality of Mona exchanges between China and he wants to use this trip to both “sow develop new areas of cooperation in [email protected] ry, but they are actually very real,” co. other countries. the seed of hope for future coopera such areas as agriculture and tech said Alessandra Tognoloni, a cast In the ballet company’s relatively Two of the league’s members tion” between the two countries and nological innovation, and to make In the fairy tale Cinderella, the member who dances the Cinderel short yet starstudded history, it are from Italy, Teatro Carlo Felice reap the fruits of “our growing rela greater headway in the cooperation main character is known for the la role. “The movements are con has established a close connection in Genoa and Teatro La Fenice in tionship over the past five years”. under the Belt and Road Initiative glass slipper she leaves behind, but sistent with what the character with China. It made its China Venice, said Li Jinsheng, presi The president said the China and in third markets, while deepen in Les Ballets de MonteCarlo’s wants to say, like how a normal debut in 2000 in Beijing and dent of the China Arts and Enter France relationship is full of vitality ing allaround cooperation in the production, she dances with her human being would be acting in a Shanghai with its production of tainment Group. and he expects their ties to grow fur traditional areas of nuclear energy, bare feet covered in glistening gold normal day.” Romeo and Juliet. “The process of making this ther. aviation, and aerospace. dust. Francesco Mariottini, who Ou Jianping, a dance critic and opera, Marco Polo, has been a “I find reasons for such expecta Xi welcomed the presence of When dancers from the Monaco dances as the prince, said: “In his scholar, described the varied sensa major effort of communication. tions from our past 55 years of French companies at the China Inter ballet company swept across China ballet, there is nothing too extreme tions he felt at its performances The Venetian explorer is seen as mutual support and winwin coop national Import Expo, the event recently, they managed to connect or too crazy. It’s actually very pure, over the years, ranging from a symbol of friendship,” Li said in eration, and more so from the great launched in Shanghai last November Monaco and China through anoth very normal.” “speechless” to “captivated”. Rome on Friday. potential and future prospects that to demonstrate China’s determina er golden trail, this time in the form Yet the production is not devoid This year is the fifth time that the Li announced the opera’s Ital our bilateral relations hold,” he add tion to expand openingup and share of cultural exchange. of the ethereal characteristics of ballet has performed at the Nation ian tour and signed an agree ed. development opportunities with the Les Ballets de MonteCarlo pre the original fairy tale. Apart from al Centre for the Performing Arts. ment for its Italian premiere this Xi noted he has built a good work rest of the world. sented Cendrillon (Cinderella) at the iconic conceptual “glass slip Cinderella was in fact staged at its September, with Giuseppe ing relationship with French Presi He said China wants to import the Shaanxi Opera House in Xi’an pers”, the staging features a giant very first NCPA performance, and Acquaviva, artistic director of dent Emmanuel Macron, and he more highquality French products on March 8 and 9 and at the Nation prop of white pages, as if the story the dancers said that the ballet is Teatro Carlo Felice. said the two nations have deepened and services to meet its people’s al Centre for the Performing Arts in is unfolding on an actual book. growing while staying true to the Kasper Holten, a Dane who mutual political trust, intensified growing needs for a better life. Beijing from March 14 to 16. The fairy that lifted Cinderella original. was director of opera at the Roy highlevel exchanges, and main China hopes more French compa The production was created by out of her sorrow and suffering is “The base is the same. The move al Opera House in London from tained highquality communication nies will choose to invest and do JeanChristophe Maillot, a French the incarnation of her late mother, ment, the story and the message he 2011 to 2017 and is currently vice and coordination in a wide range of business in China to share its devel choreographer and director of Les offering the prospect that the dead (Maillot) wants to show to the pub president of the European Acad fields. opment opportunities, Xi said. He Ballets de MonteCarlo, on music can still, in a way, protect the liv lic are the same,” Mariottini said. emy of Music Theatre, is Marco In an everchanging world of ris expressed the hope that Chinese that Russian composer Sergei ing. “But with every show or new danc Polo’s director. ing protectionism and unilateral businesses contribute more to Prokofiev wrote for the Cinderella It’s a fairy tale for adults and chil ers, somehow he would be inspired As it relates the story of Marco, ism, he said, China and France France’s economic and social devel story in 1943. dren, Tognoloni said, pointing out to change a few little things.” the opera also revolves around should work together to contribute opment. Maillot gives a neoclassical ren that the theme of love is universal Tognoloni and Mariottini have two other Italian adventurers, to multipolarity and greater democ This year marks the 55th anniver dering of the classic story, present and one that everybody can relate both performed a number of times Niccolo and Maffeo Polo, Marco’s racy in international relations. sary of the establishment of diplo ing it in a way that is closer to to. in China. “China is very open for father and uncle. It also portrays Xi also said as both countries are matic ties between China and modern life and everyday reality. The production, created in European dance companies, so a the romance between Marco and permanent members of the United France. The ballet begins with a clear 1999, is among Maillot’s 30 or so lot of the companies come here,” a young Chinese woman named Nations Security Council, China Those ties have become closer in contrast. At one end of the stage works for Les Ballets de Monte Mariottini said. Chuan Yun, as well as the rise hopes to strengthen coordination recent years with bilateral trade top sits Cinderella, holding her moth Carlo. He joined the company in A representative from Les Bal and fall of the Song and Yuan with France to safeguard multilater ping $60 billion last year. Over the er’s dress and weeping with grief, 1992 and was appointed as its lets de MonteCarlo said that the dynasties (9601368). alism and uphold the basic norms last five years alone, bilateral trade and at the other end a pas de deux head by Caroline, Princess of Han company is now cooperating even Marco Polo had its world pre governing international relations as has expanded by more than $13 bil portrays her fond memory of a lost over, in 1993.

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