ROME, March 23 (Xinhua) -- China and Italy signed here Saturday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly advance the construction of the Belt and Road during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the country.

The two sides welcome the signing of the intergovernmental MoU on jointly advancing the Belt and Road construction, said a joint communique issued by the two countries.

The two sides realize the huge potential of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in promoting connectivity, and stand ready to strengthen the alignment of the BRI and Trans-European Transport Networks and deepen the cooperation in ports, logistics, marine transportation and other areas, the communique said.