A Chinese tourist shakes hands with an Italian policeman at the Tiantan, better known as the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on Tuesday. （Photo: Lihao/ GT）
Italian police officers hailed the China-Italy police patrol operation in Beijing as barrier-breaking and said the move has brought the countries' peoples closer.
A total of eight Italian police officers on Monday began patrolling tourist sites in four Chinese cities, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Xi'an, with their local counterparts.
The joint patrol, the second such exercise between Chinese and Italian police in China, will last two weeks.
Together with their Chinese counterparts, Italian police officers Alerto Taddeo and Gian Christian Salimbene came to the Beijing landmark Tiantan, or Temple of Heaven, to conduct a joint patrol on a rainy Tuesday, the second day of the international joint police event.
"The operation brought the people from the two countries closer, breaking cultural and geographical barriers," Taddeo told the Global Times.
"Italian tourists were surprised to see us here in China, and happy at the same time. They came up to shake hands with us and we sang the national anthem together. Lots of joy," Taddeo recalled his first day on the operation on Monday at the Beijing Badaling Great Wall.
Taddeo also found the joint operation necessary and pragmatic, "It is worth noting that diligent Chinese people have also founded many communities in Italian cities, and with Chinese officers working there, they will find it easier to solve certain problems and overcome language problems."
Gian Cristian Salimbene says he enjoys the joint patrol very much, and cannot wait to interact with people and provide services to Chinese and Italian tourists he will meet in China. "Taking pictures together with him should be the first thing to do."
Both Italian officers speak fluent English and are ready to help international tourists at the sites when needed.
The visiting officers will help address safety issues concerning Italian tourists. In accordance with a bilateral cooperation document, they will not carry firearms or police weapons but will assist Chinese police with advices
Since May 2016, China has sent three groups of police officers to patrol streets in Italy. Italian officers were first invited to the joint patrol in Beijing and Shanghai in April in 2017, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
