A view shows St. Peter's Basilica in The Vatican. File Photo: VCG

China and the Vatican have agreed to extend their provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops for an additional four years, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Since it was signed in 2018, the provisional agreement regarding the appointment of bishops between China and the Vatican was extended in 2020 and 2022 respectively. The achievements in the implementation of this agreement have been commended by both sides, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at Tuesday's routine press briefing. 

The two sides, through friendly consultation, have agreed to extend the agreement for another four years. The two sides will maintain contact and talks in a constructive spirit and continue to advance the improvement of China-Vatican relations, said Lin.

Yan Kejia, director of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Religious Studies, sees the extension [of the agreement] as natural progress after gradual development. The two sides can deal with more complex issues and situations and seek solutions in a timeframe longer than two years, particularly on cultural and social topics, Yan said. 

The four-year extension is not simply a longer timeframe, but it means the two sides are moving steadily toward each other, consolidating existing achievements with a vision for the future, Yan said.

There may still be various forms of game, but the space for cooperation can be expanded with the extended timeframe, and this cooperation itself will become more constructive, Yan noted.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in May that "China is ready to work with the Vatican for the steady improvement of relations," in response to remarks from the Vatican's top cardinal that it would like to establish a permanent office in China. 

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, the spokesperson said then.