A podcast of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released Friday focused on the strengthening of industrial ties between the northern Italian city of Turin and Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province in southern China.

The two cities are industrial hubs in their respective countries as well as the home of each nation's automotive production.

In the podcast, Lorenzo Angeloni, an Italian ambassador and director-general for the ministry's promotion of national systems, called the two cities "symbols of the two countries' industrial strength."

Angeloni said the ties were strengthened by a renewed commercial agreement between Italy and China signed last month, a treaty that not only promotes economic and commercial ties but also regarding sport, education and culture.

"The signatures were a new step forward for our rapport for our countries' friendship," he said.

In specific terms, the agreement promotes ties between the Polytechnic University of Turin and the Guangzhou-based South China University of Technology. The two universities established the South China-Turin Joint Laboratory in 2015. The latest phase in the agreement solidifies those ties, Angeloni said, creating a cultural exchange and urban design course for the students from both universities.

The deal will help foster collaboration between Stellantis, the carmaker created earlier this year by the merger between Italian-American manufacturer Fiat-Chrysler and France's Peugeot and the company's local Chinese partners.

Angeloni said that in addition to the strengthened industrial and educational ties, Turin and Guangzhou have agreed to promote tourism between the cities starting after the coronavirus pandemic.