Italy multilateral and peacekeeper: Meloni in China

Italian Prime minister Giorgia Meloni closes a circle. And as G7 President she flies to China for a very strategic official visit that reaffirms the multilateral nature of Italy’s foreign policy line.

She will meet President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, People’s Assembly Speaker Zhao Leji, and CCP Secretary Chen Jining.

After reiterating Italy’s close relationship with the United States on several occasions, Rome’s Atlantic commitment to peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, betting on development and cooperation on an equal footing with Africa with the Mattei Plan, and relaunching relations with Saudi Arabia, Meloni is also aiming straight at relaunching cooperation with China.

Beyond the Silk Road
It is the 20th anniversary of the Global Strategic Partnership between Italy and China. And the Dragon is the second largest non-European trade partner for our country, after the US. ‘Relaunching the bilateral relationship in areas of common interest,’ reads the presentation of Meloni’s trip, which will begin on Sunday and end on Thursday.

The Premier will also speak at the seventh edition of the Italy-China Business Forum. The relaunch of economic relations on the Italian side is the most strategic objective of the visit. Not least because the Italy-China trade exchange in 2023 was worth over 66 billion euro, with an increase in our exports of 16.8% compared to 2022, to 19.2 billion euro (over one point of our GDP).

At the sector level, Italian exports to Beijing last year saw a boom in the pharma sector (+192%), growth in textiles and clothing (+14%), stability for machinery (+0.9%) and a drop in chemical products (-11.4%) and means of transport (-26.5%).

The adjective that InfoMercatiEsteri attributes to the growth potential of China-Italy economic relations is significant: ‘unexplored’.

Italy bearer of peace
Beijing is the country with the most influence on Moscow. It can also represent, as reiterated at the recent G7 and NATO summits, a ‘decisive factor’ in building peace in Ukraine.

This is why the Premier in agreement with Jinping has put the conflict at the top of the Chinese travel agenda. Since Italy’s exit from the Silk Road, dialogue between the two countries has been restructured through diplomatic activity, the Government Committee and the Joint Economic Commission. These are all prodromal activities with respect to the visit in the coming days.

Chinese expectations
The words with which the Foreign Minister’s spokesman, Mao Ning, announced the visit of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni yesterday were enlightening: ‘China hopes that the Italian premier’s visit will be an opportunity to consolidate traditional friendship, revive understanding and trust, and deepen practical cooperation and exchanges between peoples. Blessed Eastern synthesis.