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Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has pledged to “relaunch” relationship with China as she commenced her first official visit to Beijing.
During the her first tour, Meloni met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and signed a three-year plan to enhance economic collaboration between the two nations.
This visit follows Italy’s withdrawal from President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) last year, a decision made because Rome felt the initiative did not benefit Italy.
According to Melon, "My trip is a demonstration of the will to begin a new phase, to relaunch our bilateral cooperation.”
Premier Li’s office released a statement indicating that the two countries aim to enhance “mutually beneficial cooperation among small and medium-sized enterprises in shipbuilding, aerospace, new energy, and artificial intelligence.”
Since taking office in 2022, Meloni has pursued a more pro-Western and pro-NATO foreign policy compared to her predecessors.
Under Meloni’s leadership, Italy has prevented a Chinese state-owned company from acquiring control of the tire manufacturer Pirelli.
