BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday called for strengthening cooperation with Italy saying the two countries are located at the ends of the historical Silk Road trade route.
Meloni pulled Italy out of China’s Belt and Road Initiative but signed an agreement with China on Sunday that provides a new path for the two countries to cooperate on trade and other matters. Meloni is currently on a five-day visit to China, her first trip to Beijing as prime minister.
The Belt and Road Initiative, one of Xi’s key projects, aims to build power and transportation infrastructure around the world to stimulate international trade.
“China and Italy are located at opposite ends of the ancient Silk Road,” Xi told Meloni, “and the long-standing friendly exchanges between the two countries have made important contributions to the exchange and mutual learning of Eastern and Western civilizations, as well as human development and progress.”
Meloni in her views said Italy could play an important role in China’s relationship with the European Union. The EU imposed provisional tariffs of up to 37.6 percent on electric vehicles manufactured in China in early July. China’s support for Russia after the Ukraine war has further strained ties with the EU.
She said China has an important role to play as a diplomatic power on the international stage. Meloni added insecurity is growing at the global level, and China is undoubtedly a very important interlocutor in dealing with all these dynamics.
