News Desk

The Advocate Post: Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has pledged to enhance ties with China during her initial visit to Beijing since assuming office.

She held discussions with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the start of her five-day trip and endorsed a three-year program aimed at bolstering economic collaboration between the two countries.

This development follows Italy’s decision last year to withdraw from President Xi Jinping’s prominent Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), citing lack of tangible benefits from the expansive Chinese investment project.

Ms. Meloni characterized her visit as a signal of intent to initiate a new phase and enhance bilateral cooperation. She also announced that Italy and China have concluded an agreement focused on advancing collaboration in electric vehicles and renewable energy.

Premier Li, in a statement from his office, expressed the intention to expand mutually beneficial cooperation, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises, in sectors such as shipbuilding, aerospace, new energy, and artificial intelligence.

Italy was the lone major Western nation to participate in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a comprehensive trade and infrastructure initiative. This decision drew substantial criticism from the US and other prominent Western nations at the time.

Since taking office in 2022, Ms. Meloni has aimed for a foreign policy more aligned with Western interests and NATO compared to her predecessors. Prior to Italy’s withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), she criticized her government’s decision to join, labeling it a significant error.

Alicia Garcia-Herrero, chief economist for the Asia Pacific region at Natixis, commented that every BRI member country understands China’s priority over theirs, and as a G7 member, Italy didn’t want to be associated with countries like Russia, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka in this regard. With Italy no longer part of the BRI, Meloni’s approach to engaging with China is seen as less subordinate and more as an equal partner.