Italy’s Meloni to visit China, likely to ‘clear misunderstandings over BRI withdrawal’

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will pay an official visit to China from July 27 to 31 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Chinese Foreign Ministry announced Thursday. 

During Prime Minister Meloni's visit to China, President Xi Jinping will meet with her, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at Thursday's routine news conference. Chinese Premier Li Qiang and top legislator Zhao Leji will also meet with Meloni to exchange views on bilateral relations and issues of common concern.

China and Italy are both countries with an ancient civilization, Mao said. The two countries are comprehensive strategic partners and have maintained close high-level exchanges and fruitful mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields. A sound and stable China-Italy relationship is in the interest of both countries and peoples, and contributes to inter-civilization exchanges and mutual learning.

The Foreign Ministry Spokesperson noted that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership. China looks to work with Italy through this visit to cement traditional friendship, promote the Silk Road spirit, strengthen mutual understanding and trust, deepen practical cooperation and people-to-people and cultural exchanges, pursue the steady and sustained growth of China-Italy and China-EU relations, and jointly contribute to a more peaceful, stable and prosperous world.

The visit will be the first since Italy's withdrawal from the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and also Meloni's first visit to China after taking office. The visit is likely aimed at making up for the regret of withdrawal and personally clarifying some misunderstandings, Zhao Junjie, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of European Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

This visit once again demonstrates that Italy's withdrawal from the BRI was not due to a reluctance to cooperate with China or Meloni's own political beliefs, but rather due to the huge pressure from the US and other major Western powers at the time, Zhao Junjie said, noting that the withdrawal does not mean a decoupling from China, as economic and trade cooperation between China and Italy has since remained close.

Observers noted that Italy has been experiencing a technical recession in recent years, with high levels of national debt and deficits, while Meloni has also seen that the US and the West have pressured Italy to distance itself from China, but have not provided any real support in its place.

"Although far-right political figures like Meloni may resort to extreme rhetoric to attract votes during elections, they often return to rationality and seek the greatest benefit once in power," Zhao Junjie said. "Currently, Italy is beginning to return to rationality and trying to seek a balance between China, the US, and the EU in diplomacy."

Now that Meloni's position has been further consolidated, she also needs more cooperation and support from China, especially after her previous visit to the US clearly did not bring her any real benefits, he said.

With this visit, Italy can also set an example in Europe, showing more European countries that the benefits of enhancing friendship and promoting cooperation with China far outweigh the disadvantages of decoupling from it, said Zhao Junjie.

Practical cooperation and communication with China are expected during her visit, analysts said.

Italian Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso visited China earlier in July, laying the groundwork for Meloni's visit. During the visit, Urso said that China is an indispensable market for Italian companies and a key partner. The cooperation between China and Italy in the fields of green technology, electric vehicles, and public buses is becoming increasingly important, marking a new stage in the strategic partnership between the two countries. 

He also stated on social media that his visit demonstrates the Italian government's emphasis on restarting bilateral economic and trade relations, and Italy has a strong interest in investing in China, especially in the renewable energy sector.