Ms. Meloni labels her recent visit to China as a significant step towards revitalizing bilateral cooperation between the two nations.
An agreement was established to enhance collaboration in the realms of electric vehicles and renewable energy.
Premier Li stated that both nations are committed to expanding mutually beneficial cooperation, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises in shipbuilding, aerospace, new energy, and artificial intelligence.
Italy stands out as the only major Western nation to endorse the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), one of China’s most ambitious trade and infrastructure endeavours. This decision faced substantial criticism from the United States and other key Western nations.
Since taking office in 2022, Ms. Meloni has steered Italy towards a more pro-Western and pro-NATO foreign policy, diverging from her predecessors’ approaches.
Prior to distancing Italy from the BRI, Ms. Meloni characterized the former government’s choice to join as a “serious mistake.” Alicia Garcia-Herrero, chief economist for the Asia Pacific region at an investment bank, emphasized that BRI membership placed Italy in a subordinate role to China, expressing doubts about Italy’s desire to be aligned with countries like Russia, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka.
Without BRI membership, Meloni’s engagement with China represents a shift towards a partnership rather than a subservient relationship.
Under her leadership, Italy has sought to prevent a Chinese state-owned enterprise from acquiring control of the tyre manufacturing giant Pirelli. Additionally, Rome has endorsed a European Commission initiative proposing tariffs up to 37.6% on electric vehicles imported from China.
Two-way trade between Italy and China reached an impressive 66.8 billion euros in the past year, solidifying China’s position as Italy’s largest non-EU trading partner after the United States.
