After signing economic cooperation agreements, Hu and Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi held a carefully controlled news conference in which they played up bilateral relations and China's participation in this week's Group of Eight summit in the town of L'Aquila.

No mention was made of the situation in Xinjiang, where Chinese officials say violent street battles killed at least 140 people and injured over 820 others after tensions between ethnic Muslim Uighurs and China's Han majority erupted into riots.

Following speeches by the two leaders, Berlusconi said he was "under orders" to allow only one question to Hu and one to himself. Questions unrelated to the violence were asked.

Earlier Monday, Hu and Italy's ceremonial president, Giorgio Napolitano, spoke briefly to reporters after holding talks. Napolitano was the only one to touch on human rights issues in China.

"We agreed that the development and economic and social progress that China is realizing pose new human rights requirements," he said.