Vantican Photo:VCG

After the Vatican said on Saturday that it has appointed the bishop of Hangzhou, the capital of East China's Zhejiang Province, Chinese experts noted on Sunday that the recent statements made by China and the Vatican indicate that both sides hold a positive attitude toward bilateral relations and are willing to maintain and further promote the ties.

Pope Francis has appointed Giuseppe Yang Yongqiang as bishop of Hangzhou, as the Vatican "strives to strengthen relations with Beijing," Reuters reported on Saturday. The prelate will be relocating from Zhoucun in East China's Shandong Province, the report said.

According to the Catholic Church in China website, Yang was elected as the vice president of the Bishops' Conference of Catholic Church in China in December 2016.

The new appointment came after China and the Vatican signed a provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops in Beijing on September 22, 2018. On October 22, 2020, the two sides decided to extend that agreement for another two years.

On May 21, Vatican's top cardinal said the Vatican would like to establish a permanent office in China in what would be "a major upgrade of diplomatic relations with Beijing," according to another Reuter's report.

In response, a spokesperson from the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on May 22 that in recent years, China and the Vatican have maintained engagement, had in-depth communication on bilateral relations and international hotspot issues and increased understanding and trust. "China is ready to work with the Vatican for the steady improvement of relations," the spokesperson noted.

The recent statements made by China and the Vatican indicate that both sides have a positive attitude toward the current bilateral relations and are willing to maintain and further promote the ties, Yan Kejia, director of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Religious Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday, noting that the latest appointment is evidence of this willingness.

A source close to the Holy See told the Global Times on Sunday that "any step forward in relations is desirable and should be a result of the maturity of the times and relations."

The source said the Holy See looks forward to the renewal of the agreement in the hope that it will bear increasingly positive fruit in the near future.

According to Vatican News, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, reiterated on Thursday Pope Francis' never-hidden desire to one day visit China, "the great and 'noble' Asian country," and also "a land for which he has always shown great appreciation and esteem for its people, history and its culture."