?The latest meeting between Chinese President Hu Jintao and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama has ramped up the two countries' partnership, which would be conducive to world peace and stability, Italian scholars said.

"It was very important unity. The fact that China and the United States have agreed to strengthen their relationship on aspect of mutual interest is very positive," Stefano Silvestri, director of the Rome-based International Affairs Institute, told Xinhua.

"The commitments taken by both leaders to boost their partnership is a proof of their willingness to open a new phase. Even if at the moment it remains at a theoretical level, only time will demonstrate how much each power is ready to offer to increase the relationship," he said.

Silvestri praised the economic and commercial agreements signed during Hu's U.S. visit on Jan. 18-21.

He said both Hu and Obama had acknowledged the need to converge ever more toward a coordinated political strategy for the benefit of global stability.

"The meeting proved to be the result of high-level and proficiently-spun diplomatic relations that have succeeded in boosting mutual understanding on crucial issues and in easing down recent tensions," he noted. "Both countries know that they share common interests and must therefore sooner or later face common responsibilities as well."

Silvestri said the meeting thus served as an important step forward in bettering China-U.S. relations.

"There's a positive trend going on and I believe it will only be a matter of time before the two world powers will eventually cooperate on the same levels for the maintenance of peace, safety and stability in Asia," he explained.

"Crucial decisions will be reached in the future, based however on the different timings of each country in the long-term perspective."

Luca La Bella, a China expert with Rome's International Studies Center, said, "Hu Jintao and Barack Obama have demonstrated their intention of furthering the partnership, and this is crucial in building a solid foundation."

La Bella stressed that the meeting stood as a milestone in strengthening economic ties both for the benefit and prosperity of China and the United States and of the entire world, adding safety and military technology were sectors where bilateral cooperation could further prosper.

La Bella said China had ridden out of the global financial crisis, and such a reality made the China-U.S. relationship even more important.

The scholar said it was thus vital that bilateral consultation should be further strengthened in order to avoid diplomatic rows or misunderstandings.