Italy PM Giorgia Meloni says Belt and Road Initiative not needed to maintain ties with China

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday that in order to maintain good relations with China, a country does not need to be a part of the Border and Road Initiative deal.

Italy is the only major Western country to have joined China’s BRI scheme, which envisions rebuilding the old Silk Road to connect China with Asia, Europe and beyond with large infrastructure spending.

In an exclusive interview with  Il Messaggero daily, Meloni said that it is yet too early to decide if Italy took the right call by joining BRI or to think whether it should remain part of the project.

“Our assessment is very delicate and touches upon many interests,” said Meloni. The pact expires in March 2024 and will be automatically renewed unless either side informs the other that they are pulling out, giving at least three months’ notice.

Meloni noted that while Italy was the only one of the Group of Seven (G7) rich democracies to have signed the Belt and Road memorandum, it was not the European and Western countries with the strongest economic and trade ties with China.

“This means it is possible to have good relations, also in important areas, with Beijing, without necessarily these being part of an overall strategic design,” she said.

Earlier this month a senior Italian government official told Reuters Italy was highly unlikely to renew the Belt and Road deal.

A first test of the right-wing government’s attitude towards China looms as Rome vets a shareholder pact at tire maker Pirelli’s, whose top investor is China’s Sinochem.

China is among the biggest markets for most countries in the G7 group, particularly for export-reliant economies such as Japan and Germany.

With inputs from Reuters

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