Italy’s top diplomat tried to reassure China on ties even as Rome looks increasingly likely to withdraw from President’s Xi Jinping’s flagship infrastructure initiative.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a post on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, after meeting Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Monday that Italy was “actively working to foster dialogue and exchanges in the cultural, economic and scientific fields.” He also said the meeting with China’s most senior foreign policy official was something “we want to continue.”
Wang told Tajani that “cooperation in jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative has yielded fruitful results,” according to a statement from China’s Foreign Ministry, adding that it benefited the two nations’ trade. The exchange seems unlikely to prevent Italy from leaving the Belt and Road Initiative that China has rolled out to build infrastructure — and expand its influence — mostly in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. Tajani visited Beijing to discuss the possibility of leaving the agreement that Rome signed onto in 2019, which he said had fallen short of expectations. Regardless of what Italy decides regarding the pact, “it will not be a message against China,” he said.
Abandoning BRI risks angering Beijing. China’s ambassador to Italy, Jia Guide, has warned there would be “negative consequences” if Italy “recklessly decides” to withdraw. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently briefed President Joe Biden during a visit to Washington on her plan to curb Italy’s reliance on China. She’s also said she plans to visit China.
Beijing will host a summit celebrating the BRI’s 10th anniversary in October. Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted an invitation from Xi to attend, in what would be his first foreign trip since a warrant for his arrest on alleged war crimes was issued by the International Criminal Court.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Italy Moves to Weaken China Ties Without Upsetting Beijing(Bloomberg) -- When Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani travels to China this weekend, he’ll be balancing two competing interests: laying the ground for Italy’s exit from a controversial investment pact with Beijing while also trying to avoid a rupture with the world’s second-largest economy. Most Read from BloombergTesla’s $41,000 Model X Discount Unlocks Subsidies Musk Wanted GoneCovid Is Back. Is It Time to Pull Out Our Masks Again?BMW Unwraps Next-Generation EV to Take on Tesla, China’s BYDJimmy
Read more »
US expects to upgrade Vietnam ties, risks China anger(Refiles to remove extraneous detail in paragraph 10) By Francesco Guarascio HANOI (Reuters) - The United States expects to elevate its diplomatic ...
Read more »
US expects to upgrade Vietnam ties, risks China anger(Refiles to remove extraneous detail in paragraph 10) By Francesco Guarascio HANOI (Reuters) - The United States expects to elevate its diplomatic ...
Read more »
Despite Rome's scepticism, China says Belt and Road cooperation with Italy 'fruitful'BEIJING (Reuters) - Despite Rome's scepticism, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said cooperation with Italy under the Beijing-led Belt and Road ...
Read more »
The latest numbers on the microchip shortage: Most cuts in AsiaMicrochip shortages continued to trip up automakers in China and Asian markets outside of China.
Read more »
In a corner of Italy, upholding ancient tradition of making Parmesan cheese takes a modern turnThe Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, founded in 1934 to defend the cheese's 1,000-year-old tradition and guarantee the standard and production of Parmesan, takes its raison d'être extremely seriously. The industry is now using digital technology to fight fakes.
Read more »