Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated on Sunday that although Italy has not yet made a decision regarding leaving China’s Belt and Road investment plan, doing so would not harm bilateral ties.
A day after meeting for negotiations with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Meloni stated during a news conference following the conclusion of the G20 summit in New Delhi, “We have yet to make a decision.”
Rome “would not compromise relations” with China if it were to leave, Meloni said.
Meloni is under pressure to abandon the Belt and Road initiative, but he wants to do so without escalating tensions because critics claim it is a ruse to expand China’s power.
Unless Italy chooses to withdraw by the end of this year, the agreement automatically renews in March 2024.
The government, which Italy’s debt-ridden government joined in 2019, is “evaluating the merits” of participating in the trillion-dollar investment scheme, according to Meloni.
Of the leading developed democracies, it is the only one to have signed up.
The Belt and Road plan “has not produced the results we were hoping for,” according to Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who made the statement earlier this month.
The Italian PM is tipped to travel to Beijing for a state visit in the next few months, or at the start of next year, but would not be drawn on a possible date.
“It makes more sense to go to China when we have more elements about our bilateral cooperation and how to develop it,” she said.
Meloni and Li’s first face-to-face encounter took place as a large coalition of nations at the G20 outlined ambitious plans to build a modern-day Spice Route connecting Europe, the Middle East, and India in the hopes that it will provide a balance to extravagant Chinese infrastructure spending.
Some observers predict Meloni will support other Italy-China agreements while withdrawing from Belt and Road.
The Saturday meeting “confirmed the common intention to consolidate and deepen the dialogue between Rome and Beijing on the main bilateral and international issues,” Meloni’s office said in a statement.
Next year marks the 20th anniversary of a global strategic partnership between the two countries which “will constitute the beacon for the advancement of friendship and collaboration,” it said.
