FILE PHOTO: Italian Minister of Labor and Industry Luigi Di Maio speaks at the Italian Business Association Confcommercio meeting in Rome, Italy, June 7, 2018. REUTERS/Tony Gentile

BEIJING (Reuters) - Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Friday that the government’s 2019 budget must focus on helping Italians without getting hung up over “little numbers” involving the fiscal deficit.

Speaking to reporters in Beijing, 5-Star Movement leader Di Maio said the ruling coalition, made up of 5-Star and the right-wing League, had taken “steps forward” in putting together the budget, but more progress was needed.

“Above all we need to forget about little numbers and think about our citizens,” Di Maio said.