Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has committed to “relaunching” relations with China during her inaugural visit to Beijing since assuming office. The visit marks a significant step in Italy-China relations as Meloni seeks to establish a new phase of bilateral cooperation.
During the five-day trip, Meloni met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and signed a comprehensive three-year plan to enhance economic cooperation. This visit comes after Italy’s withdrawal from President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) last year, which Rome criticized for not delivering anticipated benefits to the country.
Meloni emphasized her visit as a symbol of renewed commitment, stating, “This trip is a demonstration of the will to begin a new phase, to relaunch our bilateral cooperation.” The newly signed agreement focuses on boosting collaboration in sectors such as electric vehicles and renewable energy.
Premier Li, in a statement, highlighted the aim to strengthen “mutually beneficial cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises in fields like shipbuilding, aerospace, new energy, and artificial intelligence.”
Italy was the only major Western nation to join the BRI, a move that faced significant criticism from the US and other Western countries. Since taking office in 2022, Meloni has steered Italy towards a more pro-Western and pro-NATO foreign policy, distancing the nation from the BRI. She previously labeled Italy’s decision to join the initiative as “a serious mistake.”
Alicia Garcia-Herrero, chief economist for the Asia Pacific region at Natixis, remarked, “Without BRI membership, Meloni is engaging with China on a different level – less as a vassal and more as a partner.”
Under Meloni’s leadership, Italy has taken a firm stance against Chinese influence, including blocking a Chinese state-owned company from taking control of Pirelli and supporting the European Commission’s recent tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
Despite the political shifts, trade between Italy and China remains robust, with two-way trade reaching €66.8 billion (£56.3bn) last year, making China Italy’s largest non-EU trading partner after the US.
