TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Italian Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday (April 5) passed a pro-Taiwan resolution calling on the Italian government to pay attention to the situation in the Indo-Pacific and the Taiwan Strait and to be aware of the challenges posed by China's expansion in the region.

The resolution, which was first proposed by Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Paolo Forementini in March, also requests the Italian government to increase the number of diplomatic missions in the Indo-Pacific and to strengthen cooperation with regional countries, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release (MOFA).

MOFA welcomed the resolution’s passing. In recent years, Taiwan and Italy have cooperated closely in the fields of economy, trade, culture, education, and energy, MOFA said, adding that both sides share universal values such as democracy, freedom, and human rights.

In the future, Taiwan will work with like-minded countries such as Italy to jointly maintain peace, stability, and prosperity in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific, MOFA said.