ROME, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Italy and China aim to more than double the annual value of their trade to as much as $100 billion by 2015, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Thursday after a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Trade between the two countries should be worth some $40 billion this year but was expected to rise sharply, Wen said at a ceremony attended by business executives and government officials at which several commercial accords were signed.
"I told Prime Minister Berlusconi that we can double the value of our commercial exchanges to $80 billion within five years but the premier said we could reach an even more ambitious target of $100 billion within five years," Wen said.
Officials in Rome said the two leaders had not discussed the European Union's differences with China over the yuan currency's exchange rate during their talks on Thursday morning.
The United States and the European Union accuse China of keeping its currency artificially weak to promote exports, undermining jobs and economic growth in the West, and they have called on Beijing to allow the currency to appreciate.
On Wednesday in Brussels, the Chinese premier said China would implement a currency reform announced in June but he rejected calls for a rapid and substantial appreciation. [ID:nLDE6950A1]
Emma Marcegaglia, head of Italy's main business lobby Confindustria confirmed the aim of reaching $80-100 billion in trade by 2015, compared to $31 billion in 2009, adding: "It's a difficult goal but we believe we can do it."
Wen said China hoped to attract more Italian investment and Beijing was making strong efforts to protect intellectual property rights, a key concern for companies investing in China.
Italy's strengths in design and the luxury sector have made it particularly vulnerable to copyright piracy. (Reporting by Francesca Piscioneri, Catherine Hornby; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)