• The visit follows Italy’s decision to withdraw from President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
• Meloni emphasized the need for the two nations to work together to maintain stability and peace.
• Italy was the only major Western nation to join the BRI, which faced criticism from the US and several other major Western countries.

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described China as an “important interlocutor” in managing global tensions during her meeting with President Xi Jinping in Beijing. President Xi, in turn, praised the “long-established friendly” ties and highlighted the “tolerance, mutual trust, and mutual respect” between Beijing and Rome.

During her first trip to China since taking office, Ms. Meloni met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday, and they signed a three-year plan to strengthen economic cooperation. This five-day visit follows Ms. Meloni’s decision last year to withdraw Italy from President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

At the time, Rome described the massive Chinese investment scheme as aimed at promoting bilateral trade. Ms. Meloni stated that her visit to China aimed to “relaunch” the relationship.

After talks with President Xi at Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Ms. Meloni said: “There is growing insecurity at an international level and I think that China is inevitably a very important interlocutor to address all these dynamics”.

Ms. Meloni stated that the two nations must “think together” to maintain stability and ensure peace. Italy was the only major Western nation to join the BRI, one of China’s most ambitious trade and infrastructure projects. The move faced heavy criticism from the US and several other major Western countries. Since taking office in 2022, Ms. Meloni has pursued a more pro-Western and pro-NATO foreign policy compared to her predecessors.

Before withdrawing from the BRI, Ms. Meloni described the previous government’s decision to join it as “a serious mistake.”

“Every country which is a [BRI] member knows that China is first and they are second and I don’t think Italy as a G7 member wanted to be grouped with Russia, Pakistan or Sri Lanka,” said Alicia Garcia-Herrero, chief economist for the Asia Pacific region at investment bank Natixis.

“Without BRI [membership] Meloni is coming to China at a different level of engagement – less as a vassal and more as a partner,” she added.

Under Ms. Meloni, Italy has blocked a Chinese state-owned company from taking control of the tyre-making giant Pirelli. Rome has also backed the European Commission’s recent decision to impose tariffs of up to 37.6% on electric vehicles imported from China. Last year, two-way trade between the two countries reached 66.8 billion euros (£56.3 billion), making China Italy’s largest non-EU trading partner after the US.

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