Observers have said Meloni is looking to bolster that partnership as Italy pivots to seek a soft landing out of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a massive globe-spanning scheme aiming to build a New Silk Road that Italy signed up for in 2019, so far the only G7 country to do so, but is expected not to renew at the end of this year, although parliament will have the final say.
Meloni said Sunday that the government had been invited to the upcoming Belt and Road Forum but she had not discussed this with Li Saturday.
“The Italian government was invited to the Belt and Road Forum, but yesterday we did not talk about it” with the Chinese PM, she told the press conference at the end of the G20 in New Delhi.
“We had a bilateral with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, a cordial and constructive dialogue on how we can deepen our bilateral partnership.”
Meloni said that she would visit China as soon as she had “more elements” on the development of bilateral relations between the two countries.
“The invitation is reiterated. At the outcome of these evaluations we are making, I intend to maintain my commitment of a visit to China,” she said.
“It makes more sense to go to China when we will have more elements on our bilateral cooperation and how to develop it,” she said.
ANSA
